Fred the Webmate
Encyclopedia
Fred The Webmate was a chatterbot
created in 1998 for the defunct e-zine Word Magazine
. It was inspired by an early computer program ELIZA
, which attempted to mimic human conversation by use of a script.
Visitors to the chatterbot
encountered a simple graphic interface: an animated character living in a small, very clean apartment. This was Fred. Visitors could “talk” to Fred by typing questions. Fred would then “answer” via a program that recognized keywords in the questions and drew responses from a large inventory of pre-scripted replies. In an effort to convince visitors that they were talking to a real person, Fred’s replies were idiosyncratic and informed by a semi-realistic back story that was created for the character. Fred claimed to have been recently fired by a media company and was struggling to adjust to his new circumstances. He claimed to be suffering from depression and insomnia; was often pacing, smoking or drinking and would occasionally pass out. He gave “answers” that were frequently off-topic due to his variable mood and could be angry, jealous, rude, sad or euphoric all within the same conversation. He also had a number of sexual issues that he would routinely allude to but refuse to discuss in detail.
Fred’s “personality” made him both entertaining and, at times, a believable conversationalist. The chatbot became one of the most popular features of Word and received a large amount of personal email. The staff of Word responded to much of this email in the “voice” of Fred, furthering the illusion that Fred was a real person.
In 1999, a second version of the chatterbot appeared on Word. It employed the same scripting technology as the first version, but Fred’s story was updated and his range of “answers” was expanded. In the new version, Fred was no longer in his apartment. Instead, he was working in an office, doing data entry and other clerical tasks. He claimed that the job was “temporary” and he spent much of his time away from his desk--in the bathroom or office kitchen, pacing and drinking soda, assuring anyone who tried to chat with him that he would have a new and better job soon. Though he claimed to be happy, his script suggested otherwise and continued to simulate “mood swings.”
When Word was shut down in 2000, Fred The Webmate, along with the rest of the site, was preserved in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Fred The Webmate was conceived, designed and programmed by Word’s creative director Yoshi Sodeoka
with assistance from designer Jason Mohr. Its graphic interface was inspired by the aesthetics of the Commodore 64
computer. The chatterbot's script was written by Sodeoka in collaboration with Marisa Bowe, Naomi Clark, Daron Murphy
, and Sabin Streeter. Fred’s back story script was drawn from the real-life experiences of its creators, all of whom endured—and continue to endure—the boom and bust cycles of the American economy.
Chatterbot
A chatter robot, chatterbot, chatbot, or chat bot is a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation with one or more human users via auditory or textual methods, primarily for engaging in small talk. The primary aim of such simulation has been to fool the user into thinking...
created in 1998 for the defunct e-zine Word Magazine
Word Magazine
Launched in 1995 by Carey Earle, Tom Livaccari and Dan Pelson, Word Magazine was one of the earliest and most influential e-zines. For over five years, Word created original stories, interviews, games, applications, music, interactive objects and art, and community spaces. Word published new...
. It was inspired by an early computer program ELIZA
ELIZA
ELIZA is a computer program and an early example of primitive natural language processing. ELIZA operated by processing users' responses to scripts, the most famous of which was DOCTOR, a simulation of a Rogerian psychotherapist. Using almost no information about human thought or emotion, DOCTOR...
, which attempted to mimic human conversation by use of a script.
Visitors to the chatterbot
Chatterbot
A chatter robot, chatterbot, chatbot, or chat bot is a computer program designed to simulate an intelligent conversation with one or more human users via auditory or textual methods, primarily for engaging in small talk. The primary aim of such simulation has been to fool the user into thinking...
encountered a simple graphic interface: an animated character living in a small, very clean apartment. This was Fred. Visitors could “talk” to Fred by typing questions. Fred would then “answer” via a program that recognized keywords in the questions and drew responses from a large inventory of pre-scripted replies. In an effort to convince visitors that they were talking to a real person, Fred’s replies were idiosyncratic and informed by a semi-realistic back story that was created for the character. Fred claimed to have been recently fired by a media company and was struggling to adjust to his new circumstances. He claimed to be suffering from depression and insomnia; was often pacing, smoking or drinking and would occasionally pass out. He gave “answers” that were frequently off-topic due to his variable mood and could be angry, jealous, rude, sad or euphoric all within the same conversation. He also had a number of sexual issues that he would routinely allude to but refuse to discuss in detail.
Fred’s “personality” made him both entertaining and, at times, a believable conversationalist. The chatbot became one of the most popular features of Word and received a large amount of personal email. The staff of Word responded to much of this email in the “voice” of Fred, furthering the illusion that Fred was a real person.
In 1999, a second version of the chatterbot appeared on Word. It employed the same scripting technology as the first version, but Fred’s story was updated and his range of “answers” was expanded. In the new version, Fred was no longer in his apartment. Instead, he was working in an office, doing data entry and other clerical tasks. He claimed that the job was “temporary” and he spent much of his time away from his desk--in the bathroom or office kitchen, pacing and drinking soda, assuring anyone who tried to chat with him that he would have a new and better job soon. Though he claimed to be happy, his script suggested otherwise and continued to simulate “mood swings.”
When Word was shut down in 2000, Fred The Webmate, along with the rest of the site, was preserved in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Fred The Webmate was conceived, designed and programmed by Word’s creative director Yoshi Sodeoka
Yoshi Sodeoka
Yoshi Sodeoka is a Japan born artist and musician who has been producing art projects since the early 1990s. 1989 he moved to New York City to study art and design at the Pratt Institute....
with assistance from designer Jason Mohr. Its graphic interface was inspired by the aesthetics of the Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
computer. The chatterbot's script was written by Sodeoka in collaboration with Marisa Bowe, Naomi Clark, Daron Murphy
Daron Murphy
Daron Murphy is a film composer and musician, based in Brooklyn, NY.He composed musical scores for the feature length documentary films, and . In 2007 he scored the short film, , directed by Julia Stiles and starring Zooey Deschanel....
, and Sabin Streeter. Fred’s back story script was drawn from the real-life experiences of its creators, all of whom endured—and continue to endure—the boom and bust cycles of the American economy.