"In 1966, MIT's Joseph Weizenbaum created ELIZA, a conversational AI that mimicked a Rogerian therapist using simple pattern matching. Despite its limited design, many users felt understood and emotionally "seen," attributing empathy and intent to the system, a phenomenon later called the "ELIZA effect". From the very start, people related to even basic conversational software as if it had a mind of its own."
"Long before modern AI, product and brand design had already embraced personality as a differentiator. Mailchimp's playful feedback or Slack's quirky copywriting showed how tone and character could give otherwise functional software a distinctive emotional presence. Design theory reinforces this! Norman's emotional design theory shows that products which evoke emotion foster attachment and loyalty, while anthropomorphismexplains our instinct to assign human traits to machines."
ELIZA, created in 1966, simulated a Rogerian therapist with simple pattern matching, prompting users to project understanding and empathy onto the program, known as the ELIZA effect. Product and brand design later used personality to create emotional presence, as seen in Mailchimp and Slack. Emotional design theory argues that emotionally evocative products build attachment and loyalty. Anthropomorphism drives humans to assign human traits to machines. Research at MIT documents people forming 'artificial intimacy' with conversational agents, attributing emotions, motives, and moral qualities. Modern AI intentionally shapes system character to influence user perception, trust, and behavior, amplifying ethical and design implications.
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