One of the first chatbots was named for this language-learning character from a 1913 play & 1956 musical
On the June 25, 2025 episode of Jeopardy, the Final Jeopardy category was Literary Allusions. The clue posed to the contestants was: One of the first chatbots was named for this language-learning character from a 1913 play & 1956 musical.
https://youtu.be/zCL0OAIFiR0
Who is Eliza?
This Final Jeopardy clue brought together a fascinating mix of literature, musical theatre, and early computing history. It referenced a character who not only had cultural significance in the world of drama and stage but also served as inspiration for a pioneering moment in artificial intelligence development. The answer, Eliza, connects to both George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion and its musical adaptation, My Fair Lady, which debuted in 1956. Eliza Doolittle, the character in question, becomes the subject of a bold social and linguistic experiment—an apt symbol for the technological leap later embodied by the ELIZA computer program.
Eliza Doolittle: From Flower Girl to Linguistic Icon
Eliza Doolittle first appeared in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion as a Cockney flower girl who undergoes a dramatic transformation through language training. Professor Henry Higgins takes her under his wing with the goal of teaching her to speak with an upper-class accent and pass as a duchess at an embassy ball. The play, a commentary on class distinctions and human identity, struck a chord with audiences and was later turned into the hit Broadway musical My Fair Lady in 1956, further solidifying Eliza’s place in pop culture.
The musical adaptation followed a similar narrative, with memorable songs like “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “I Could Have Danced All Night” helping to embed the story in the public consciousness. Eliza’s journey from a marginalized street vendor to a self-aware, articulate woman represented the power of language and learning—two themes that would take on new meaning in the digital era.
ELIZA the Chatbot: An Early Experiment in AI
The clue’s reference to one of the first chatbots points to the 1960s-era ELIZA program, developed by MIT computer scientist Joseph Weizenbaum. ELIZA was designed to simulate a conversation with a psychotherapist, using a script called DOCTOR that mimicked the style of Rogerian therapy. It responded to user inputs with simple pattern matching and substitution techniques, creating the illusion of meaningful dialogue.
Weizenbaum named the program ELIZA as a nod to Eliza Doolittle’s language transformation under Professor Higgins. Just as Eliza learned to speak in a refined way, the chatbot ELIZA appeared to understand and respond with linguistic sophistication, despite having no real comprehension of the conversation. The program became a landmark in natural language processing and laid the groundwork for future AI-driven communication tools.
Why the Literary Allusion Matters
The use of Eliza Doolittle’s name in the context of early chatbot development wasn’t accidental. It drew a symbolic connection between human learning and artificial language processing. In both cases, a transformation occurs—whether it’s a flower girl learning to speak like a duchess, or a computer program learning to mimic human interaction. The allusion reinforces the idea that language is not just a tool for communication, but a vehicle for identity and social mobility.
The character’s enduring presence in literature and theatre, coupled with her unexpected leap into computing history, makes Eliza a prime example of how art and science can intersect. Her story’s themes continue to resonate, particularly in today’s conversations around machine learning, AI ethics, and the limits of simulated intelligence.
A Fitting Clue for the Times
This Final Jeopardy clue did more than test contestants’ knowledge of literature—it subtly highlighted a milestone in the development of conversational AI. With today’s chatbots becoming increasingly sophisticated, it’s easy to forget the humble beginnings of programs like ELIZA, which relied on simple scripts but inspired a generation of computer scientists and linguists.
By referencing both Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, the clue also reminded viewers of the rich cultural lineage behind modern technology. Eliza’s name continues to evoke transformation, adaptability, and the enduring human fascination with teaching machines to speak. It was a clever and meaningful way to close out the game on June 25, 2025.