Instant messaging chatbots are the topic of the NFB Youth Slam Computer Science Track. In this track, students will build a fun chatbot that can talk to them (or their friends) through an instant messenger. Chatbots are software robots capable of carrying on simple conversations. Students will be able to create a personal chatbot endowed with unique personas, such as those resembling a psychologist, Yoda from Star Wars, or anyone else that they can imagine. The chatbots will draw information from the web and be able to answer useful questions like "What's the weather in Baltimore?", "Who won the Orioles game last night?", or "Where's the nearest Chinese restaurant?" Students will return home with basic knowledge of artificial intelligence, natural language processing and web programming, along with a personalized chatbot that they can continue to use on their home computers. No prior computer programming experience required!
