Intelligent Chatbot: Technical Report

Lyons, Karl (2017) Intelligent Chatbot: Technical Report. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

Intelligent Chatbot is a project that explores what can be accomplished with AI agents in the world we live in today. Alan Turing (1912-1954), known as the father of modern computing, developed the idea of artificial intelligence. Perhaps most famously known for breaking the Enigma code used by the Germans in WWII, which was widely regarded as unbreakable, he lay the foundations for the development of computer science explored what is possible using electronic computers and artificial intelligence. In his 1950 paper on Computing Machinery and Intelligence, he asks the question; “Can machines think?”. He created a test, with the fitting name of the Turing test, whereby a machine is tested on its ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. Throughout the paper he delves deeper into this idea and I came across an interesting quote. To quote directly from Turing, “I believe that in about fifty years’ time it will be possible to programme computers, with a storage capacity of about 109 , to make them play the imitation game so well that an average interrogator will not have more than 70 per cent chance of making the right identification after five minutes of questioning.”[Turing, 1950].

He wasn’t too far off. In June 2014, a computer program called Eugene, which simulated a 13 year old Ukrainian boy was said to have successfully passed the Turing test at an event held at Reading University’s School of Systems Engineering. Some artificial intelligence experts refuse to recognize this as a legitimate victory but it is interesting to note how close Turing’s prediction was.[BBC tech, 2014]

Messaging applications are the #1 most used applications in the world at the moment and some businesses are already taking advantage of this and developing chatbots of their own to complement their social media presence. With messaging applications taking up the majority of a users time, it makes sense for businesses to capitalise on this. Bots are becoming smarter and faster and will soon become easier to use than a website or app. A recent inquiry into the area of chatbots indicated that 180 bot-related companies have attracted $24 billion in funding towards the development of AI driven bot applications. [Gatti, Venturebeat, 2017]

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was quoted saying “Bots are the new apps”.[Cava, USA Today, 2016] With Microsoft set on exploring deeper into the world of chatbots and accelerating the innovation and sophistication of chatbots, I’ve found this project both interesting and exciting as I dived into Microsofts newest platform; Microsoft Bot Framework. With many companies already creating their own bots using the Bot Framework such as Ebay, Skyscanner, StubHub and Foursquare, I believe that in the next few years every major business will have a chatbot to deal with customers’ basic queries and maybe even go as far as processing full orders. Chatbots have the potential to replace call centres, customers can get their queries answered simply by opening their favourite messaging platform and chatting with a bot.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Electronic computers. Computer science Q Science > QA Mathematics > Computer software T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Computer software
Divisions:	School of Computing > Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computing
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	31 Oct 2017 15:48
Last Modified:	31 Oct 2017 15:48
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/2697

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