聊天機器人 同時和千人對談

聊天機器人 同時和千人對談

編譯夏嘉玲/綜合報導

機器人也能上網聊天？號稱全球最聰明的聊天機器人、虛擬英國男子「喬治」，可如活生生的人一般與人在網上聊天，不但話題五花八門，網路形象也和人一樣有表情與動作，許多與「他」線上聊天的人都被騙倒，以為自己在和真人聊天，最近還有人和喬治一聊就聊了快11個小時，還欲罷不能。

喬治號稱可同時與上千人線上對談，還能講40種語言，據稱已與全球網友聊天多達1000萬次，並以「最人性化的聊天機器人」獲頒去年的人工智慧領域大獎Loebner獎。登上http//person.jabberwacky.com/george就可與喬治對談。

網路上的喬治是個出身倫敦南部的39歲光頭男子，身穿白色套頭衫，戴著一副黃框螢光綠鏡片眼鏡，聊天時腦袋常左搖右晃，眼神飄忽。基本上喬治聊天時有來有往，但偶爾會迸出十分無厘頭的回答，令人一頭霧水。

研發出喬治的人工智慧程式設計師卡本特指出，喬治採擷曾與之對談的人的智 慧，擷取這些人使用的詞彙，從以往聊天的內容中找出最合適的字句回覆對方，「它與許多其他對話程式相異之處，除了回話有邏輯，還設法與對方建立人際關係， 討對方歡心，十分人性化」。不過，喬治也從網友那學了不少不登大雅之堂的字彙，有時回話十分粗魯無禮。

喬治本來只是個程式，沒有形體，直到去年秋天，才被它的發明者具體化，升級 為一款具有虛擬形象、虛擬聲音和聲音識別系統的智能軟件，有了一個完全動態的3D身體，讓訪客不僅可以看到顯示幕上喬治的樣子表情，透過鍵盤敲打句子和喬 治對話，還可以和他進行「面對面」的語音聊天。

作為一個虛擬聊天機器人，喬治並非時刻都保持優雅舉止。他有時風度翩翩，但偶爾也會口吐髒字。他非常聰明，認為宗教是一種「社會現象」，喜歡黑色電影、科學偵探小說，愛幻想。此外，喬治有著69種姿勢和表情，包括諷刺的、悶悶不樂的，乃至於像個醉酒的司機般搖搖晃晃的。

為喬治設計3D形象的柴歐德認為，諸如喬治的人工智慧機器人或許有朝一日會成為家庭互動式娛樂系統的基本配備，「就像能帶來歡樂的寵物」。

【2006/09/25 聯合晚報】

AI prize award for British firm

A prestigious Artificial Intelligence (AI) prize has been won for the second year running by a British company.

Icogno scooped the 2006 Loebner Prize Bronze Medal after judges decided that its AI called Joan was the "most human computer program".

The competition is based on the Turing test, which suggests computers could be seen as "intelligent" if their chat was indistinguishable from humans.

The gold medal, which goes to an AI that fools the judges, is unclaimed.

The prize is awarded after judges hold a conversation with the AI, asking questions to determine its "humanity" and the quality of its responses.

Joan is a "26-year-old budding writer" who exists only on a set of computer servers. Last year's Loebner prize went to Icogno's AI called George.

'Big difference'

Joan and George's creator Rollo Carpenter said: "The big difference overall between the two AIs is that Joan has learnt from the general public and has grown a huge amount in the last year and is keeping ahead of the competition."

Joan is one of the firm's so-called Jabberwacky bots, which develop their conversational skills by speaking to the general public online.

The technology has moved on a bit during the course of the year but there's been no revolution Rollo Carpenter

English writer Ariadne Tampion worked with Mr Carpenter to help develop Joan's persona by chatting to the AI online.

Those conversations helped develop the majority of the 16,000 lines that distinguish her from a generic AI. In all, the bot has more than five million lines of conversation available to it.

"She helped create a much more conversational ability for Joan than George last year.

"It does not mean the AI only ever uses her words. Any amount of teaching is not quite enough for a realistic conversation."

He added: "So the AI uses other things said by other people to it that fit the conversational model."

The underlying technology that powers George and Joan is the same, said Mr Carpenter.

"In terms of her ability to retain her character Joan is more sophisticated than George.

"The technology has moved on a bit during the course of the year but there's been no revolution."

George learns how to use words and phrases through online chat George in action

The technology which powers Joan resides on Windows server machines. The core of the AI is on a Dual Xeon machine with lots of memory, said Mr Carpenter.

He said there was a very direct relationship between the computing power available and the sophistication of the AI.

'Rate of learning'

"Investment in a lot more equipment could accelerate the rate of learning," he said.

"If I had Google's hardware behind it and more hits than Google receives, the AI's range of utterances could grow by a million every single day." he added.

Mr Carpenter has said he expects a machine to fool people that they are speaking to a human being and therefore pass the Turing test by 2016.

Icogno is now working to commercialise the technology of the AI.

"We are working with an organisation that wants web avatars for use in marketing and entertainment purposes.

"Long term we see the use of AIs in call centres, support services and even for sales."

One day in the future when you pick up the phone to seek help with your broadband connection, the person you are speaking with may be George or Joan, AIs residing on a computer somewhere in the world.

The following is an extract of a conversation between one of the Loebner judges and the AI Joan:

Judge: But can't a machine think?
Joan: It may be possible.
Judge: And conscious?
Joan: Not after I'm done with you.
Judge: What are you going to do to me?
Joan: Nothing. I just wanted to talk.
Judge: What about?
Joan: Being tested like this.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/5355838.stm

墾丁龍鑾潭 白鷺鷥大遷移

墾丁龍鑾潭 白鷺鷥大遷移

白鷺鷥大搬家墾丁連日來出現鷺鷥大遷移的壯觀場面，每當傍晚時，成群在空中飛舞集結後，南飛度冬。 記者宋耀光／攝影

【記者宋耀光／恆春報導】

墾丁龍鑾潭這兩天來，接近傍晚出現成千上萬的白鷺鷥大遷徙的壯觀場面，賞鳥者大呼是大自然奇觀。墾丁國家公園管理處技士劉川說，鷺鷥南遷才開始進入高峰期，近日在龍鑾潭南岸都還有機會看到白鷺鷥遷移的盛況。

配合白鷺鷥過境，墾管處將於本月卅日上午9時至10時30分，下午3時30分到5時30分，在龍鑾潭北岸及南岸舉辦「白鷺鷥的祝福」賞鳥活動，欲參加的民眾，最好能自備雙筒望遠鏡。詢問電話：（08）886-321轉250-259。

隨著接近中秋，墾丁的天空，除伯勞鳥、赤腹鷹等候鳥過境外，鷺鷥也大群的南遷避冬，數量不輸給赤腹鷹，而且避冬的小水鴨、蒼鷺也開始出現在龍鑾潭。

劉川表示，鷺鷥群每年於八月底至十月間往南遷移，部分在台灣停留，大部分往南洋一帶避冬，在南遷的鷺鷥隊伍中，以小白鷺、牛背鷺、大白鷺及中白鷺為主，前兩種數量較多，南遷隊伍中，還夾雜著好幾隻列為保育類的唐白鷺。

他說，到墾丁的鷺鷥大多暫棲於草澤間或樹林間，在略作休息後南遷，其中以傍晚時分最多，數量多時成千上萬，雪白的羽絲映在晚霞空中，宛若一絲絲白色的緞帶，有如「夏雪」。

他在關山居高臨下觀察，發現鷺鷥聚集的地點以龍鑾潭四週數量最多，留在潭邊的白鷺鷥大部分在傍晚時分「傾巢而出」，多到天空一片都是飛舞的鷺鷥，牠們在龍鑾潭上空繞行集結後，越過台電核三廠的上空，乘著東北季風，往菲律賓方向飛去。

墾管處表示，鷺鷥一小時飛行時速約50公里，從墾丁南飛到菲律賓最近的島─巴丹島約200公里，根據觀察，在墾丁的天空，也可以看到鷺鷥在晚上遷徙。

【2006/09/25 聯合報】

北市信義計畫區 25年影像展

北市信義計畫區 25年影像展

【記者詹三源∕台北報導】

台北市信義計畫區開發至今已經25年，區內高樓林立、百貨公司密集，還有中外馳名的台北101大樓，也成了各縣市仿效的特區，為紀念信義計畫區的開發歷程，昨天首先登場的是「信義計畫區開發25周年影像展 」。

這項影像展昨天在誠品信義旗艦店揭幕，都市發展局長許志堅指出，信義計畫區至今已經25年，誰也沒想到以前的「四四兵工廠」用地，會成為今日的景觀，也成為各縣市取經的計畫，如北縣新板特區、嘉義縣太保縣政特區及高雄市農16特區等。

主辦影像展的誠品負責人吳清友說，信義計畫區有得天獨厚的政府規畫及民間企業結合，開發出多功能、多目標的都市特區。

為呈現信義計畫區25年的發展歷程，誠品以互動式的投影設計，將整個信義計畫區的衛星空照圖，鋪陳在地上，民眾只要以特製的引導棒點選區內的建物，螢幕即呈現開發過程的介紹，即日起至10月8日展出，歡迎民眾前往體驗。

【2006/09/24 聯合報】

Related links:

信義開發紀事

信義區的歷史沿革與古蹟

宋校長說故事

電腦晶片傳輸雷射 有譜

電腦晶片傳輸雷射 有譜

■ 編譯謝璦竹／綜合十八日電

英特爾公司與聖塔芭芭拉加州大學（UCSB）宣稱，已研發出能在電腦晶片上產生雷射的科技，這項突破將可大幅降低超快資料通訊的成本。

雷射是現代通訊硬體中的重要元件，光脈衝透過玻璃纖維束傳輸資料。但光纖網路比一般銅電線貴，通常僅用在長途高量的應用。但有了這種新技術，未來電腦內即可透過雷射而非電線來傳輸資料，電腦的設計將徹底改變。

科學家一直致力開發利用標準電腦晶片材料矽來傳輸雷射的方法。由於矽本身無法發射光線，他們必須依賴外加零件。

英特爾與UCSB研究人員在晶圓上塗上一層磷化銦，這是用於傳統雷射的材料。在這層材料上安裝可產生光的微小裝置，通電後即可產生攜帶資料的光。

英特爾光電科技研究室主任潘尼契估計，該科技至少還須五年才能量產。UCSB研究人員鮑爾斯說，目前受測的雷射在華氏100度以上就會失靈，旦他們已找到幾種可能降低其對熱敏感的辦法。

過去要在矽晶片上整合可發射光的材料一直無法克服溫度的問題，該團隊開發出一種低溫黏著技術，可避免黏著時融化矽晶上的電路。

英特爾說，有了這種技術，一顆晶片上可以整合數十、甚至數百組雷射。市場上同級的每組雷射要價50美元至數百美元不等，但研究人員認為，將來這種新雷射最低只要1美元。

潘尼契說，目前資料傳輸速度最快可達每秒八個十億位元（Gb）至十個十億位元，距離最遠可達18英吋。未來，20Gb至40Gb的速度將是家常便飯，距離 可達幾十英尺。因此，電腦效能將顯著提昇，硬體設計也將大大不同。例如，記憶晶片再也不須緊挨著微處理器，資料傳輸速度也不會受影響。

這項研究結果將在下期Optics Express上發表。英特爾跟UCSB這項研究用的是磷化銦，同樣在該領域研究的日本科學家則選擇化學元素鉺。

【2006/09/19 經濟日報】

'Sticky' silicon could speed data

Data speeds inside computers or across continents could get a boost from Intel research into hybrid processors.

Intel researchers have solved a manufacturing problem that has delayed the creation of devices that can both generate and route light.

The breakthrough could mean cheaper and higher speed computer networks and help to speed up the transfer of data inside computers.

Intel said commercial versions of the hybrid chip may not appear until 2010.

Light speed

The breakthrough revolves around the fusing of the two materials commonly used in computer chips and high-speed optical networks.

Silicon has been the mainstay of computer chip making for decades and its ability to move, amplify and detect light is well known.

However, silicon is not very good at generating light. As a result high-speed continent-spanning networks often use components made from an exotic material known as indium phosphide that does posses very good light generating properties.

Intel researchers, working with Professor John Bowers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, have found an easy way to unite silicon and indium phosphide.

The researchers discovered that the use during manufacturing of an oxygen plasma acts as a "glass glue" that tightly bonds the two materials into one device.

Applying a voltage makes the indium phosphide generate light which can then be manipulated by the silicon elements of the hybrid chip.

The close mating of the two materials could mean that data can get on and off computer chips far more quickly than it can via conventional connections.

It should also mean much closer links between computers and data networks. Intel envisages a day when silicon chips sport dozens of the tiny lasers and their light-manipulating machinery.

The fact that it uses the relatively low-cost manufacturing techniques used to make silicon chips could slash the cost of making components for high-speed telecommunications networks.

"This marks the beginning of highly integrated silicon photonic chips that can be mass-produced at low cost," said Prof Bowers.

The research builds on earlier Intel research on making silicon generate light and on improving its ability to direct it.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/5356636.stm

Published: 2006/09/18 12:57:04 GMT

18世紀新聞 Google找得到

18世紀新聞 Google找得到

【編譯謝璦竹／綜合六日電】

Google公司推出全新的新聞檢索服務，搜尋內容包括報紙、雜誌及其他出版品，最遠可搜尋到18世紀的新聞。

Google的新聞檔案搜尋服務（Google News Archive Search），可搜尋紐約時報、華盛頓郵報、華爾街日報、Guardian Unlimited（衛報和觀察家兩報的整合網站）、時代雜誌等知名報章雜誌，也包含既有的新聞搜尋網站或資料庫如Fac-tiva、Lexis- Nexis及HighBeam Research等。但Google沒有說明加入該計畫的業者總數。

使用者鍵入關鍵字後，可搜尋相關新聞全文，也可瀏覽按年份排列的新聞提要。 點選提要後，可進入個別新聞出版業者的網頁，瀏覽全文是否需付費須視該內容提供者的公司政策而定。收費及訂價都由業者自行辦理，Google不代為收費， 也不向業者或使用者收取費用。推出之初Google沒有銷售廣告。

使用者可透過Google搜尋網站或新的新聞檔案網站 （news.google.com/archivesearch）搜尋。Google新聞檔案搜尋的特色是，其中多數文件都是過去很難或根本無法透過搜尋 引擎找到的資料。Google的一般新聞搜尋僅能追溯過去30天內的新聞。

這項新服務中包含的資料庫屬於「黑暗網路」（Dark Web）的內容，原因是標準搜尋引擎無法將這些資料庫編目，因此搜尋不到。

Google這項計畫大受出版業者的歡迎，部分業者表示，為讓其內容可被搜尋已跟Google交涉多年。

總部在芝加哥的HighBeam Research電子圖書館執行長史班說：「我們一直邀請Google及其他搜尋引擎將我們的內容編目。」

HighBeam的資料庫包含3,300種出版物的4,000萬筆文件，部分可免費瀏覽，其餘僅可看到600字的提要，須付費才能瀏覽全文。費用為每月20美元，或按年計費一年100美元。

紐約時報有200萬筆文章可透過該服務搜尋到，年代最久遠者可追溯到1981年。時代雜誌自1923年創立以來的30萬筆文件則可全部免費瀏覽。

新服務也包含Google自行編目、沒有與出版商訂立正式合約的網頁內容。 去年法新社（AFP）就一狀告到美國哥倫比亞地方法院，指控Google提供的文章摘要及圖片已構成侵害版權。Google說它讓出版商自行決定是否退出 Google新聞，目前也已移除AFP的內容。

【2006/09/07 經濟日報】

Google opens up 200 years of news

Web giant Google is further expanding its online empire with the launch of the Google News Archive Search.

The web-based tool allows users to explore existing digitised newspaper articles spanning the last 200 years and more recent online content.

People using the search are shown results from both free and subscription-based news outlets.

Partners in the project include the websites of US newspaper the New York Times and the Guardian from the UK.

Other sources include news aggregators, websites which collect and display news stories from multiple sources.

"The goal here is to be able to explore history as it unfolded," said Anurag Acharya, an engineer at Google and one of the team behind the project.

"It's fascinating to see how people's attitudes and emotions have changed through time."

History lesson

The new service searches hundreds of different news sources to answer a user's query. The exact number of sources is confidential.

Results are presented in similar fashion to a Google News search, with "related" articles about the same event grouped together. Free and charged-for articles are displayed side by side.

The ability to browse this historical overview allows users to identify key time periods and get some sense of the flow of events Anurag Acharya

With pages from commercial websites, the cost of viewing them is also shown. Google says search results are based on relevance, not partnerships with companies.

Users can also view articles using a timeline that displays key dates associated with a story.

So the first Moon landing would highlight 1969 as a key date, but also identify other years when lunar landings took place or when the topic was in the news.

"The ability to browse this historical overview allows users to identify key time periods and get some sense of the flow of events," said Mr Acharya.

The earliest known searchable story is, he said, from "somewhere in the mid-1700s" - considerably older than the current 30-day archive offered through Google News.

The service is accessed through the news archive website or the Google news page. It is also activated when it can provide relevant results to a user's search on google.com.

In this case, links to the most relevant historical news articles are displayed separately above the normal search results.

Historical challenge

The launch of the news archive search extends Google's influence over how the world's information is indexed, searched and accessed.

According to online research firm Nielsen/NetRatings, more than 380 million people used the search engine every month in 2005.

The company is also expanding into areas other than search. In August it announced plans to offer consumers the chance to download and print classic novels free of charge.

"I'm strongly in favour of the democratisation of access to historical documents, but also cautious about how much information Google now controls," said Professor Roy Rosenzweig, a historian from the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University in the US.

He says that increasingly the model of how we access information and what information we have access to is changing, as public archives such as libraries are replaced by private companies. But, he says, he is "extremely excited" about Google's latest offering.

"As a scholar and historian I want as much information as possible, accessible to as many people as possible at the least cost, and the extent to which Google is doing that is compelling."

Google says it plans to launch the news archive search service on other international Google sites soon.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/5317942.stm

Published: 2006/09/06 05:31:18 GMT