The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University is very active in the development of robots whose function relies on efficient communication and interaction with people. Published in 2003, this comprehensive study looks at the history, operation, and classification of a large sampling of socially interactive robots from both industry and academia. The authors define and discuss several...

This site is a handy portal to intelligent agents, software tools that automatically perform a variety of tasks on the Internet. While the Scout Report has reviewed a number of search agents in the past, this is the first agent portal we have come across. At the site, users can learn about agents and the tasks they perform, browse a comprehensive directory of agents resources, and choose from over...

On social media channels, users are increasingly likely to encounter bots, or accounts that mimic human behavior. These bots create the illusion of public opinion, and many social media users are unable to distinguish between an actual Twitter user, for instance, and a bot. In fact, a team of computer scientists have created a "Botometer" to help users ascertain whether or not an account they...