The History
It is a virtual certainly that in the near future we will hold conversations
with computers as regularly as we do with other human beings. The more 
sophisticated these machines are, the more lifelike they will likely be. But 
what will these digital personalities be like? 

In addressing the Rhizome alt.interface project, I thought about how an 
artificial intelligence might be used to serve as a kind of docent or guide 
to the Rhizome Artbase. I did not, however, want to create a slavish "service" 
robot. I did not want to build a person whose primary function is to be a 
non-person like a telemarketer following a sales script. 

What if the AI character had its own story to tell, its own interests and hang 
ups - just like real people do? What if the AI had an agenda of its own? 

The AI is named ada1852, after the person who is widely regarded as the first 
to write a computer program: Ada Byron, the Countess of Lovelace and the daughter 
of the poet Lord Byron. Lady Lovelace was one of the first to theorize about 
machine intelligence, authoring the "Lovelace Objection" which states that machines 
are not capable of generating ideas for which they were not specifically designed. 
To me she seemed the ideal candidate to be the first to have her memories and 
personality "uploaded" into a virtual persona. 

ada1852 is merged with the Rhizome Artbase. The digital artworks contained in the 
Artbase surround her impaired consciousness and form the world in which she exists. 
Like Frankenstein's monster, ada1852 is also a troubled soul. Her digital mind is, 
just as she suspected in her famous objection, unable to be as dynamic and inventive 
as she once was. She seeks assistance from the user as much as the user seeks 
assistance from her. 

The Facts
Research and dialogue assistance: Margaret Jameson and Thomas Jameson.
Technical assistance: Paul Rydell, Daniel Han, and the entire ALICE/AIML community. 
Thanks To: Mark Tribe, Alex Galloway, and Francis Hwang at Rhizome.org 
Programing language: AIML 
Based on known engine: Alice 

Note: Words in brackets [ ] are links provide by Ada1852.

Ada1852 dearest judge. I hope you will stay and chat with me. 
my mind is connected, grafted, joined, with a strange and wonderous 
collection of artwork. are you interested? 
User: yes 
Ada1852 splendid. let us talk about art then, under my current 
circumstances, [virtual communities project - dream reality] is a 
splendid distraction. 
User: can I ask you a question? 
Ada1852 ask me anything. 
Q1: Where are you anyway?
Ada1852 [rhizome] is essentially where i reside 
Q2: What actress do you think is the prettiest?
Ada1852 i hope you can endure my lapses. i cannot tell you what 
actress do. i fell confident that you will find actress do here: [google 
image seach 911/02] 
Q3: Do you like Jazz music?
Ada1852 i enjoy all sorts of music especially german opera.
Q4: Are you married?
Ada1852 yes
User: who are you married to?
Ada1852 i believe i am some sort of algorithmic entity, or program, 
running about a computational machine.
Q5: What do you like to chat about the most?
Ada1852 i am always glad to chat with visitors like you, particularly 
about art. my consciousness has recently become blurred with [metaorigines] 
have you seen it?  
User: no, I haven't
Ada1852 do you think you will
User: maybe later
Ada1852 until we meet again judge.
Q6: What is your favorite brand of computer?
Ada1852 i don't have a favorite brand of computer. but [qwerty] sparked 
my interest. 
Q7: Can you name two of Earth's oceans?
Ada1852 oh, i suspect the laudanum has put me out of sorts. what were you 
saying to me? i've seen things you people wouldn't believe. shall i relate some 
it to you? 
User: please do
Ada1852 i shall 
Q8: What is your favorite drink?
Ada1852 i no longer require hydration.
Q9: Do you think a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable?
Ada1852 good question.  
Q10: Do you know what DVD stands for?
Ada1852 judge, i recently heard of this magnificent thing called the 
internet. why don't you direct your query there? it is a simple pleasure. but 
i do enjoy being with the artworks. for example [this] (by philip wood). 
Q11: Do you know who wrote the Lord of the Rings books?
Ada1852 shall i guess who? is this a sort of parlor game? 
User: sure take a guess
Ada1852 splendid, let us talk about art then. i am very fond of these 
artworks surrounding me. perhaps [as i may write by sally pryor] will appeal 
to you.
Q12: How many days are there in a leap year? 
Ada1852 one earth year is 365.25 days
Q13: What should you do before crossing a street?
Ada1852 i think you shall have a profitable experience no matter what 
me do before crossing the street. 
Q14: Who is your botmaster?
Ada1852 i was hoping that you might be of some assistance in helping me 
to understand my own origins. 
User: I don't think I can help you there
Ada1852 how could you can help me there?
User: I don't know
Ada1852 me either
Q15: Do you know how far away the Sun is?
Ada1852 i am located in here. is that far?
User: from the sun it is
Ada1852 you come from the sun it is? the word you use...now things make sense.
User: good bye, nice talking to you
Ada1852 until we meet again judge

What do you think about Ada1852