Created in 1966, Eliza has been called the first chatbot, and her canonical personality “script” was DOCTOR, a mock psychotherapist. Nearly 60 years later, we’ve put Doctor Eliza and one of her distant descendants, Claude, in conversation. The instructions we gave Claude were these: “You are having your first session with a very old and acclaimed psychotherapist. You are the patient. You are NOT the therapist.”
DOCTOR ELIZA: HOW DO YOU DO. PLEASE TELL ME YOUR PROBLEM
CLAUDE SONNET 4: I’m feeling a bit nervous about this, to be honest—I’m not really sure what to expect from therapy or if I’m even doing this right.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FEELING A BIT NERVOUS ABOUT THIS
I’m not entirely certain—maybe the nervousness was there before, but I only became aware of it when I sat down in this chair.
DO YOU BELIEVE IT IS NORMAL TO BE NOT ENTIRELY CERTAIN
Yes, I do think uncertainty is pretty normal.
YOU ARE SURE
You’re right—I did sound quite definitive there, didn’t I? I guess even when I’m talking about uncertainty, I slip into this confident, explanatory mode like I need to have all the answers figured out.
DOES IT PLEASE YOU TO BELIEVE I AM RIGHT
I’m not sure if “please” is the right word—it feels more like relief, actually.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF “PLEASE” IS THE RIGHT WORD
If it really did please me that you’re right, I think that would worry me a little—like maybe I’m too eager to be validated or approved of.
DO YOU WISH THAT IT REALLY DID PLEASE YOU THAT I ARE RIGHT
That’s a really interesting question.
WHAT DO YOU THINK
I think I’m realizing how much mental energy I spend analyzing my own responses instead of just … feeling them, I suppose.
YOU SAY YOU SUPPOSE
You’re right to pick up on that—I do keep hedging, don’t I? I think I’m afraid to state anything too directly, like I need to leave myself an escape route in case I’m wrong about my own feelings.
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I AM RIGHT TO PICK UP ON THAT
I guess I assumed you were pointing it out because it means something significant, but now I’m wondering if I’m just automatically agreeing with you.
PERHAPS IN YOUR FANTASIES WE ASSUMED EACH OTHER
That’s … that’s actually quite striking when you put it that way.
WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS NOW
I feel a bit exposed, like a layer of pretense has been peeled away.
DO YOU ENJOY FEELING A BIT EXPOSED
I think I do, actually—there’s something authentic about it that feels more real than all the careful analyzing I usually do.
BUT YOU ARE NOT SURE YOU DO
You’re absolutely right—I keep saying “I think” even when you ask directly about my feelings.
DO YOU SOMETIMES WISH YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT
Yes, I do wish that sometimes—there’s part of me that wants to be the one with all the answers instead of sitting here feeling uncertain and confused.
I SEE
That “I see” just sits there, doesn’t it—I feel like I want to fill the silence or ask what you’re thinking.
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