“Need a little help to quit smoking but don’t have the time or money to visit a counsellor?Perhaps a virtual coach could help you kick the habit”,this New Scientist article says.”Betsy van Dijk and colleagues from the University of Twente in Enschede,the Netherlands, and the Dutch anti-smoking organisation Stivoro are developing a female chatbot to provide free,round-the-clock advice and exercises for people trying to give up.Van Dijk says anti-smoking chatbots are ideal for smokers who may be too embarrassed to see a counsellor or simply can’t find the time or the money. Chatbots also have another advantage. “A virtual coach is always there, even at night,” she says”.
Help me stop chatbot
- May 25th, 2006
-
-
1
by Jim_Downing
-
Post a comment
Comments
@ 19:43
I read Sherry Turkle’s book and I remember it now that I have read this entry. Chatbots could be helpful. I for one use a the ‘doctor’ mode in Emacs to help me see my fears, concerns in a text file. This is particularly helpful for me when I am too embarrassed to talk about some things.
I do hope that these chatbots will be very useful for some, the way that some kinds of software have helped me in similar ways.