An automated answer service that piggybacked on AOL Instant Messenger has fallen victim to its own success. SmarterChild, a so-called bot that predicted the weather, gave dictionary definitions, asked trivia questions, and played blackjack with AIM users, became so popular that its provider, ActiveBuddy, decided to retire it, effective Monday.
SmarterChild is still available through Microsoft's MSN Messenger and Internet Explorer Web browser, where its total consumers number less than 1 million. Other ActiveBuddy bots are running to promote everything from eBay to Austin Powers.
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