Answer · confidence: partial
When could regular people first type chats with a simple program like ELIZA?
Research question: When did members of the general public first get to type conversations with a simple computer program, such as ELIZA?
The records only partly answer this. The earliest dated evidence is an MIT archive conversation from March 22, 1965, which shows the program was already being used with people by then 6. The first conversations took place by teletype, with the words appearing as lines of text 1, and ELIZA was developed at MIT between 1964 and 1967 2. The sources do not state when the public first could type conversations with it 1411. The newest facts come from 2026 sources, so the material is current, but those sources do not supply the missing date 14.
Checked 2026-10-19. Only documented and supported facts are used.
Dig deeper on this questionSources
[1] supported
The first conversations people had with ELIZA took place through a teletype, with the words appearing as lines of text.
"A conversation with ELIZA was conducted via teletype, the words appearing as lines"Conversations about conversational code: on the collaborative critical code studies reading of ELIZA (2026)
[2] supported
ELIZA was developed at MIT by Joseph Weizenbaum over a period from 1964 to 1967.
"ELIZA is an early natural language processing computer program developed from 1964 to 1967"ELIZA
[3] supported
Weizenbaum was prompted to reflect on the Eliza effect by the public response to ELIZA, his natural language processing program.
"In particular, he was prompted to such reflections by the public response to ELIZA, his natural language processing software program."The Eliza effect and its dangers: from demystification to gender critique (2020)
[4] supported
The first conversations with ELIZA were pre-screenic, so they would be unrecognizable to contemporary readers.
"as the first conversations with ELIZA would be unrecognizable to contemporary readers—being pre-screenic."Conversations about conversational code: on the collaborative critical code studies reading of ELIZA (2026)
[5] supported
Some users became emotionally attached to ELIZA, sometimes forgetting they were conversing with a computer.
"Some of ELIZA's responses were so convincing that Weizenbaum and several others have anecdotes of users becoming emotionally attached to the program, occasionally forgetting that they were conversing with a computer."ELIZA
[6] supported
An MIT archive version of a conversation with ELIZA is dated March 22, 1965, showing the program was already being used with people by then.
"in the March 22, 1965, MIT archive version, the human"Conversations about conversational code: on the collaborative critical code studies reading of ELIZA (2026)
[7] supported
Some people took the ELIZA program seriously rather than as a joke.
"Apparently, some people took the program seriously"DTIC ADA037925: A Computer and Its Man, (1976)
[8] supported
ELIZA was a novelty on the MIT campus, popular on nights and weekends after Weizenbaum's program let loose there.
"It was a novelty, popular on nights and weekends on campus."Conversations about conversational code: on the collaborative critical code studies reading of ELIZA (2026)
[9] documented
A number of ELIZA's users tried to obtain psychotherapy from the program.
"A number of users of the program attempted to obtain psychotherapy"DTIC ADA037925: A Computer and Its Man, (1976)
[10] supported
Weizenbaum published the ELIZA computer program in 1966, intending to demonstrate natural language processing by a computer.
"1966 veröffentlichte Weizenbaum das Computerprogramm ELIZA , mit dem er die Verarbeitung natürlicher Sprache durch einen Computer demonstrieren wollte."Joseph Weizenbaum
[11] supported
The document does not say when the public first used ELIZA; it only gives January 1966 as the date Joseph Weizenbaum described the program.
"ELIZA is a natural language conversation program described by Joseph Weizenbaum in January 1966 [1] ."Eliza (elizabot.js) - mass:werk
[12] supported
ELIZA is one of the best-known early chatbot systems.
"ELIZA is one of the best-known early chatbot systems."ELIZA Emulator (1966 Chatbot) — Talk to ELIZA Online
[13] supported
Conversational systems date back to the 1960s, when Eliza was among the early programs.
"Conversational systems have come a long way since their inception in the 1960s."From Eliza to XiaoIce: challenges and opportunities with social chatbots (2018)
[14] supported
ELIZA was created between 1964 and 1966 at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by Joseph Weizenbaum. The document does not say when the public first could type conversations with it.
"ELIZA was modeled as a pseudo Rogerian ‘psychotherapist’ and was created between 1964 and 1966 at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory by Joseph Weizenbaum."Designing Behaviors to Interactively Interlace Natural Language Processing, Text to Speech Procedures and Algorithmic Images (2018)
[15] supported
Eliza and Parry were early conversational systems from the 1960s and 1970s.
"we’ve seen progress from Eliza and Parry in the 60’s and 70’s"From Eliza to XiaoIce: challenges and opportunities with social chatbots (2018)