Jabberwacky is a chatterbot created by British programmer Rollo Carpenter. Its stated aim is to "simulate natural human chat in an interesting, entertaining and humorous manner".[1] It is an early attempt at creating an artificial intelligence through human interaction.
The stated purpose of the project is to create an artificial intelligence that is capable of passing the Turing Test. It is designed to mimic human interaction and to carry out conversations with users. It is not designed to carry out any other functions.
Unlike more traditional AI programs, the learning technology is intended as a form of entertainment rather than being used for computer support systems or corporate representation. Recent developments do allow a more scripted, controlled approach to sit atop the general conversational AI, aiming to bring together the best of both approaches, and usage in the fields of sales and marketing is underway.
The ultimate intention is that the program move from a text based system to be wholly voice operated—learning directly from sound and other sensory inputs. Its creator believes that it can be incorporated into objects around the home such as robots or talking pets, intending both to be useful and entertaining, keeping people company.
Cleverbot is the evolved version of the older Jabberwacky chatterbot, or chatbot, originally launched in 1997 on the web.[2] While Cleverbot.com continued to work in 2023, the Jabberwacky's website, tagged as "legacy only," stopped working temporarily from December 31, 2022 until approximately June 1, 2023, experienced a restoration for a little more than two weeks and then stopped working again.