Benjamin Franklin Synthetic Interview Marcos Amadeo Allison Styer

Benjamin Franklin Synthetic Interview Marcos Amadeo Allison Styer Advisors: Don Marinelli, Scott Stevens

Background • Governor Ed Rendell is sponsoring this project. • Installed in the lobby space of the Lights of Liberty show. • To increase flow of people during the day to their gift shop, increase ticket sales.

Lights of Liberty • Grab your headset. We’re joining a Revolution! • 45 minute walking tour of historic buildings with original paintings projected. • 3 d sound, fog, lighting, voice talent from Walter Cronkite, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlton Heston.

What is Synthetic Interview? • Software technology that allows a computer database to act like a human personality and interact with a person in real time. • The program attempts to match its input to a preconstructed list of possible questions a guest may ask. • The database question with the highest score (matching keywords) will be chosen and the appropriate video answer will be played. • This technology was generated by CMU researchers and has given life to a myriad of characters from Albert Einstein to a robotic talk show host.

Demo • See Marcos as Ben Franklin!

Our Ben • Ben Franklin aka Ralph Archbold • The “Official Ben Franklin” of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Freedom’s Foundation and the Franklin Institute. • Has been portraying Ben for over 25 years.

Our proposals • The “Painting” • The “Ghost” ~ Special thanks to Eric Brown ~

Our story • What will bring families across town? – Ben’s Ghost! • Come chat with the ghost of Ben Franklin about any topic – from the Constitution to French women! • Type on an old typewriter – then send the letter by mail (Ben was the first Postmaster General for the colonies) to his ghost. • The ghost appears to answer the question, then blows out a candle and dissipates.

Possible implementations • Exploring Pepper’s Ghost

Possible implementations • Exploring OPD technology

Possible implementations • OCR – handwriting technology

Our Schedule

Questions? • “Fish and Visitors stink after three days” • “Well done is better than well said. ” • “When the wine enters, out goes the Truth. ” • “Paintings and Fightings are best seen at a distance. ” • “Old boys have their playthings as well as young ones, the difference is in the price. ” – From Poor Richard’s Almanac by B. Franklin