Fred, or FRED, was an early chatbot written by Robby Garner. == History == The name Fred was initially suggested by Karen Lindsey, and then Robby jokingly came up with an acronym, "Functional Response Emulation Device." Fred has also been implemented as a Java application by Paco Nathan called JFRED Archived 2008-08-24 at the Wayback Machine. Fred Chatterbot is designed to explore Natural Language communications between people and computer programs. In particular, this is a study of conversation between people and ways that a computer program can learn from other people's conversations to make its own conversations. Fred used a minimalistic "stimulus-response" approach. It worked by storing a database of statements and their responses, and made its own reply by looking up the input statements made by a user and then rendering the corresponding response from the database. This approach simplified the complexity of the rule base, but required expert coding and editing for modifications. Fred was a predecessor to Albert One, which Garner used in 1998 and 1999 to win the Loebner Prize.
Butler in a Box
Butler in a Box was an early voice-controlled home automation device developed in 1983 by magician Gus Searcy and programmer Franz Kavan. The device allowed users to control various home electronics, such as lights and phones, using voice commands. It predated modern smart speakers and virtual assistants by several decades. == History == The idea for the Butler in a Box originated in 1983 when Searcy was asked by friends why he couldn't simply command lights to turn on and off if he could pull rabbits out of hats, given his background as a professional magician. Searcy partnered with former IBM programmer Kavan to develop the device, with their first prototype being named "Sidney". The Butler in a Box combined remote control technology with voice recognition to enable control of home devices. However, it faced challenges due to the technological limitations of the era and its high price point of nearly $1,500 (equivalent to around $3,700 in 2021). == Features and functionality == Users could activate the Butler in a Box by speaking a wake word, typically a traditional butler name, and the device would address the user as "boss". It was capable of performing tasks such as: Turning lights on and off, controlling individual zones if lights were connected to remote control modules Making and receiving phone calls Setting timers Pairing with sensors to function as a security alarm system However, the device required extensive voice training for each user, a time-consuming process compared to modern voice recognition. Additionally, settings and trained commands would be lost if power was out for over 3 hours due to the volatile memory technology used at the time. == Reception and legacy == While innovative for its time, the Butler in a Box did not achieve widespread commercial success due to its high price and the technical limitations of the 1980s. Nevertheless, it served as an important early step in the development of home automation and showcased the potential for voice-controlled technology to enhance accessibility and convenience in the home. Decades later, products like Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Apple's Siri would make voice-controlled smart home devices commonplace and affordable, building on the groundwork laid by early attempts like the Butler in a Box.
Bidyut Baran Chaudhuri
Bidyut Baran Chaudhuri (B. B. Chauduri) is a senior computer scientist and an emeritus professor of Techno India University in West Bengal, India. He is also adjuncted to Indian Statistical Institute, where he was a professor for about three decades. He was the founding Head of Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Unit (which was established in 1994) of ISI. Moreover, he was a J.C. Bose Fellow and Indian National Academy of Engineering Distinguished Professor at ISI. He was the vice-president of the Society for Natural Language Technology Research (SNLTR). His primary research contributes to the fields of computer vision, image processing and pattern recognition. He is a pioneer of "Indian language script OCR". == Education == Chaudhuri received his BSc (Hons.), BTech and MTech degrees from University of Calcutta, India in 1969, 1972 and 1974, respectively and PhD Degree from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1980. He did his post-doc work during 1981-1982 from Queen's University, U.K, through Leverhulme Overseas Fellowship. He also worked as a visiting faculty at Tech University, Hannover during 1986-87 as well as at GSF Institute of Radiation Protection (now Leibnitz Institute), Munich in 1990 and 1992. == Awards and recognition == Chaudhuri has been elected as a Life Fellow of IEEE "for contributions to pattern recognition, especially Indian language script OCR, document processing and natural language processing". He has become a Fellow of International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR) "for contributions to character recognition and speech synthesis in Indian language". He is also Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), National Academy of Sciences (NASI), and Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering (IETE). In 2011, Chaudhuri received the Om Prakash Bhasin Award for his contribution in the field of electronics and information technology. Chaudhuri's interview on some of his works has been reported in Indian newspaper as well. He is within world's top 2% scientists and top-10 Indian AI scientists according to a study conducted by Stanford University. He has also been featured as top-10 machine learning researcher from India.
Android Auto
Android Auto is a mobile app developed by Google to mirror features of a smartphone (or other Android device) on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit. Once an Android device is paired with the car's head unit, the system can mirror some apps on the vehicle's display. Supported apps include GPS mapping and navigation, music playback, SMS, telephone, and Web search. The system supports both touchscreen and button-controlled head units. Hands-free operation through voice commands is available and recommended to reduce driver distraction. Android Auto is part of the Open Automotive Alliance, a joint effort of 28 automobile manufacturers, with Nvidia as tech supplier, available in 36 countries. == History == Android Auto was revealed at Google I/O 2014. The app was released to the public on March 19, 2015. In November 2016, Google implemented an app that would run the Android Auto UI on the mobile device. In July 2019, Android Auto received its first major UI rework, which among other changes, brought an app drawer to Android Auto for the first time. Google also announced that the app's ability to be used on a phone would be discontinued in favor of Google Assistant's drive mode. In December 2020, Google announced the expansion of Android Auto to 36 additional countries in Europe, Indonesia, and more. In April 2021, Android Auto launched in Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Google announced in May 2022 a user interface redesign for Android Auto, codenamed CoolWalk, which aims to simplify the app's usage, and make it more adaptable to screens of different orientations and aspect ratios. The redesign incorporates a new split-screen layout, where Google Maps can be displayed alongside a music player. CoolWalk was originally slated to launch in Q3 2022. In June 2022, Android Auto no longer ran directly on a mobile device; the app permitting this was decommissioned, in favor of a Driving Mode built into the Google Assistant app for a similar purpose. In November 2022, the CoolWalk user interface was released in Android Auto's beta program. == Functionality == Android Auto is software that can be utilized from an Android mobile device, acting as a vehicle's dashboard head unit. Once the user's Android device is connected to the vehicle, the head unit will serve as an external display for the Android device, presenting supported software in a car-specific user interface provided by the Android Auto app. In Android Auto's first iterations, the device was required to be connected via USB to the car. For some time, starting in November 2016, Google added the option to run Android Auto as a regular app on an Android device, allowing users to choose whether to use Android Auto on a personal phone or tablet, rather than on a compatible automotive head unit. This app was decommissioned in June 2022 in favor of a Driving Mode built into the Google Assistant app. At CES 2018, Google confirmed that the Google Assistant would be coming to Android Auto later in the year. An Android Auto SDK has been released, allowing third parties to modify their apps to work with Android Auto; initially, only APIs for music and messaging apps were available. == Head unit support == In May 2015, Hyundai became the first manufacturer to offer Android Auto support, making it first available in the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Automobile manufacturers that will offer Android Auto support in their cars include Abarth, Acura, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Buick, BMW, BYD, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Genesis, Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar Land Rover, Jeep, Kia, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lincoln, Mahindra and Mahindra, Maserati, Maybach, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, RAM, Renault, SEAT, Škoda, SsangYong, Subaru, Suzuki, Tata Motors Cars, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. Additionally, aftermarket car-audio systems supporting Android Auto add the technology into host vehicles, including Pioneer, Kenwood, Panasonic, and Sony. == Criticism == In May 2019, Italy filed an antitrust complaint targeting Android Auto, citing a Google policy of allowing third-parties to only offer media and messaging apps on the platform, preventing Enel from offering an app for locating vehicle charging stations. Google announced a new SDK, to be released to select partners in August 2020 and made generally available by the end of the year. == Availability == As of December 2025, Android Auto is available in 46 countries:
AI Video Generators: Free vs Paid (2026)
In search of the best AI video generator? An AI video generator is software that uses machine learning to help you get more done — it turns a rough idea into a polished result in seconds. When choosing one, weigh output quality, pricing, export formats, and how well it fits the tools you already use. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the right AI video generator slots into your workflow and pays for itself fast. Below we compare features, pricing, and real output so you can choose with confidence.
NER model
NER is one of several formulas for accessing live subtitles in television broadcasts and events that are produced using speech recognition. The three letters stand for number, edit error and recognition error. It has been promoted as an alternative to Word error rate (Word Error Rate) which is a more objective measure. The overall score is calculated as follows: Firstly, the number of edit and recognition errors is deducted from the total number of words in the live subtitles. This number is then divided by the total number of words in the live subtitles and finally multiplied by one hundred. N E R v a l u e = N − E − R N ∗ 100 {\displaystyle NERvalue={\frac {N-E-R}{N}}100} . The acronyms stand for the following: N (number) = total number of words in the live subtitles E (Edit error) = edit error R (Recognition error) = recognition error This measurement process has been used for public television broadcasts in European countries like Italy and Switzerland. One major drawback with NER is that it requires a human assessor to rate errors as either: 1 Minor edition or recognition errors 2 Normal edition or recognition errors 3 Serious errors which are then weighted in the assessment process. This is both subjective, time consuming and costly. Also, NER fails to account for words left out subtitles which is something that does not take account of the D/deaf audience who want verbatim subtitles. As a result, NER cannot accurately reflect the audience's experience of subtitles. Another problem is the inconsistency of human evaluation of subtitles, particularly with live subtitles, where there are differing opinions of the importance of subtitle errors. By way of contrast, Word error rate is an objective measure of subtitle errors, since it measures the textual discrepancy between the subtitles and the speech.
AI Writing Assistants Reviews: What Actually Works in 2026
Looking for the best AI writing assistant? An AI writing assistant is software that uses machine learning to help you get more done — it can save you hours every week by automating repetitive work. Most options offer a generous free tier, with paid plans unlocking higher limits, faster processing, and team features. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, the right AI writing assistant slots into your workflow and pays for itself fast. Read on for hands-on impressions, pricing tiers, and the standout features that matter.