Tribute to ELIZA (1966) & Joseph Weizenbaum

Experience an authentic browser re‑creation of the original DOCTOR script—one of the very first chat programs.

About ELIZA

ELIZA was created by MIT computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum in the mid‑1960s. Its most famous script, DOCTOR, imitates a non‑directive psychotherapist by reflecting users’ statements back as questions. The effect was striking: many users felt understood, despite ELIZA having no understanding at all.

This page includes a faithful JavaScript port of that experience, with period‑appropriate behavior (simple pattern matching, pronoun reflection, and a small “memory” of topics).

Note on authenticity: The rules follow the original DOCTOR script keyword table as closely as possible. Enable Authentic (ALL‑CAPS) mode for teletype output.

Interactive Demo

ELIZA — DOCTOR script (1966)

Origins & Impact

ELIZA was written at MIT by Joseph Weizenbaum around 1964–1966. Its best‑known script, DOCTOR, emulated a non‑directive psychotherapist by transforming a user’s statements into reflective questions using simple pattern‑matching and pronoun reflection—no world knowledge, no learning.

Weizenbaum was surprised that many people attributed understanding and care to such a simple program. That reaction helped kick off enduring conversations about anthropomorphism, the ELIZA effect, and the ethics of human–computer interaction.

  • Technique: keywords → decomposition rules → reassembly templates; plus small memory for topics.
  • Interface: teletype terminals—often ALL‑CAPS output with line‑by‑line replies.
  • Legacy: sparked early NLP research and a cultural touchstone for chat systems.

Why we honor ELIZA

AskEliza.org takes its name as a tribute to the first widely known conversational program. ELIZA reminds us to build AI that’s transparent, humble, and human‑aware—and to be clear about what the system does and doesn’t understand.

  • Transparency: we explain how things work and keep the experience simple.
  • Public service: like public broadcasting, our mission is open access and education.
  • Historical respect: we preserve the original feel so anyone can experience it first‑hand.

From ELIZA to today

  1. 1960s: Rule‑based ELIZA/DOCTOR on teletype terminals.
  2. 1990s–2010s: Statistical NLP and early neural nets expand language modeling.
  3. Late 2010s–2020s: Large language models enable free‑form dialog with reasoning.
  4. AskEliza.org: A nonprofit, public‑service platform embracing openness and user trust.

Further reading

For background, look up Joseph Weizenbaum’s Computer Power and Human Reason (1976), classic ELIZA papers and source listings, and modern retrospectives on the “ELIZA effect.”