PC World: Chatting with Online Characters
Ever wonder what happened to customer service chat avatars? According to this article, they're alive and well and, as Lucy explained to me in her creepy Star Trek-like voice, living inside your computer. Oddcast and ALICE AI Foundation are among those promoting the use of artificially intelligent characters to teach students and serve customers online. Not sure whether the science is yet ready for prime time for sorting out customer service questions, but Lucy, based on ALICE's award winning technology, is disarmingly responsive for a software program.
