From Steve Taylor
After seeing your piece on “nanniebots” trapping chatroom paedophiles, I get the feeling I have read an unprocessed press release (20 March, p 23).
Given the quality of the chatterbots we see entering the Loebner prize each year, these are extraordinary claims, and need just a wee bit of confirmation.
The editor replies:
• If nanniebots can lead to investigations of paedophiles, as claimed by their inventor Jim Wightman, this is pretty persuasive evidence that they work. We have now learned from the UK’s National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, London’s Metropolitan Police and the FBI that they are unable to confirm that this has happened. Both UK agencies deny any active involvement with Wightman’s programs. If new evidence emerges, we will keep readers up to date.
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Coburg, Victoria, Australia
