How To Build an Android

In the early 2000s, an android replica of sf legend Philip K. Dick became a sensation in artificial intelligence circles. Its human face and exceptional programming, along with a database of Dick's writings and interviews, allowed people to converse with it. It made the rounds of conferences, attracting huge crowds, until December 2005 when its head was lost on an airline flight en route to a meeting at Google headquarters. The head has never been found. Dufty (senior research officer, Australian Bureau of Statistics), who worked on the project, tells the story of the conception, planning, and building of the android. An android of this complexity faced constant problems and technical difficulties, but the team met these challenges with creative thinking and novel approaches. Duffy here interviews many of the people involved in the project, adding depth to his own personal experience.