# The Singularity is Near! (Internet 20 questions) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308 "2010-01-25T02:50:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/1 "2010-01-25T02:50:32Z")
Just found out about an incredible [http://us.akinator.com/#](http://us.akinator.com/#), that plays 20 questions with you. It seems to be limited to guessing real or fictitious personas, but I swear this thing is sentient. The first time, I had Indiana Jones in mind. It guessed correctly in about 15 moves. Then I did Sonic the Hedgehog, which it got in about 20 moves. _Then_, I thought, aha! Let’s see it guess Malcom Reynolds from Firefly!..which it proceeded to do in about 15 moves… ETA: Stumped it! It couldn’t guess Cugel the Clever. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/2 "2010-01-25T03:01:32Z")
Beat it on the first try-Neil Diamond. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/3 "2010-01-25T03:20:32Z")
First try : Hector It guessed Achilles. Close, bot not quite ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/4 "2010-01-25T03:25:23Z")
Bah, computer programs that play 20 Questions with the user have been around for ages. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about this one except that it has a large database to work from. ---
**Author:** ![HISSNLISSN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ed8c4c/32.png) [@HISSNLISSN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HISSNLISSN)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/5 "2010-01-25T03:26:37Z")
I assume you must have provided difficult / incorrect answers to nail it on Neil Diamond. Surprised how many it’s guessed right, even when I’ve had to push it beyond 20 questions. ---
**Author:** ![CHEN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3d9bf3/32.png) [@CHEN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CHEN)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/6 "2010-01-25T03:36:20Z")
He needed 40 questions to get Curious George. He didn’t get Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo. I was hoping he would, actually. ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/7 "2010-01-25T03:50:50Z")
He needed 3 rounds to guess Scut Farkas from A Christmas Story. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/8 "2010-01-25T03:59:04Z")
It took it 15 questions to identify that I was thinking of Squall Leonhart and Meat Loaf. 16 questions to idenfity that I was thinking of Inspector Javert. 20 questions to identify that I was thinking of Glenn Beck. And 35 to identify that I was thinking of Dr. Susan Calvin. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/9 "2010-01-25T04:52:48Z")
I was pretty sure I could beat it with a famous Australian, and sure enough my first try (Banjo Paterson) stumped it (though it turns out he was in the database) Going up to 40 questions gives it room for up to a trillion distinct possibilities (I’m not sure how much the fuzziness of the probably/probably not options helps or hinders here) so I don’t think its performance is all that impressive yet. It would be interesting to see how it improves over time if it becomes popular and widely played though ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/10 "2010-01-25T05:05:01Z")
Got Lazarus Long in 20. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/11 "2010-01-25T05:06:59Z")
I’m amazed easily. It got George Orwell after a bunch of, what I thought, general questions. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/12 "2010-01-25T05:14:13Z")
I can believe it got Dirk Pitt in 20, but getting Aloysius Pendergast in 20 is freakin’ amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/13 "2010-01-25T05:30:59Z")
Flunked out on SF author Julian May, and Louis de Broglie, but managed to get Susan Pevensie and Florence Nightingale in 20 and Cathy Freeman in 30. It’s very fixated on certain aspects - that is, it will ask repeatedly if your character is American, or involved in the entertainment industry, even if you put a definite “no” the first time. It’s definietly skewed towards certain types of characters. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/14 "2010-01-25T06:13:37Z")
It only took about 12 questions to get Sgt. Schlock. I knew it was on the right track when I said he wasn’t human, and that he uses guns. Cecilia from _Piled Higher and Deeper_ completely stumped it. It didn’t get Nodwick, but he’s in the database, and it was starting to get close at 40. Bender took it 12 guesses, and it probably could have gotten it a lot quicker (how many robots are there that drink a lot?) I wonder about its partitioning, though. After I said that Cecilia had black hair, it still asked if she was blond. It should have seen that that question wouldn’t do any good at all. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/15 "2010-01-25T06:19:28Z")
Wow, this thing has an amazing database. It just guessed High Overlord Saurfang. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/16 "2010-01-25T06:31:46Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Wow, this thing has an amazing database. It just guessed High Overlord Saurfang. And every Questionable Content character, I’m going for OOTS next. ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/17 "2010-01-25T06:33:16Z")
Lamarr the Headcrab (Half-Life 2): 14 questions Particle Man (They Might Be Giants): 40 questions, including two wrong guesses. Slimer (Ghostbusters): 12 questions. Pintsize (Questionable Content): 14 questions. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/18 "2010-01-25T06:36:26Z")
The Ice Climbers in 20 (I was actually going for just Popo, but I’m accepting it as close enough). And Mr. Scruffy after 26 (with one wrong guess of Ceiling Cat) ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/19 "2010-01-25T06:46:11Z")
Couldn’t get Shaquille O’Neal. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308/20 "2010-01-25T07:01:30Z")
I wasn’t keeping track on these but it guessed Jay Leno, Quentin Tarantino, Buffy Summers, and Jenna Jameson in less than 20 questions. I was surprised by Jenna Jameson, and it knew I was thinking of a porn star after four questions. Guessed Tony Soprano in 14 questions. Angela Chase (My So-Called Life) in 26 (it was probably confused when I answered “yes” to both red and blond hair). Starbuck in 14. Obama in 12. God in 12. Although I was apparently supposed to but “I don’t know” instead of “No” to the question “Is your character real?”. He could not guess Charlie Rose nor Anthony Weiner (my congressman). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-singularity-is-near-internet-20-questions/526308.md?page=2)