Originally chatbots like the one we use in our robot girlfriend were made to pass turing tests. In a turing test as proposed by alen turing in the 60's computer programs and humans talk online to other humans and are judged as to which is the human and which is the computer. Turing tests are still done today. a bronze medal is handed out every year to the best chatbot. The alice bot has won four of them if you include the 1994 chatterbox challenge.

 

However there is one effect I heard about that happens during turing tests that could be usefull. Every year some men (and It's always men) just talk to the female chatterbots for hours. Sure in the turing test the chatterbots were clearly chosen as the computer (no chatterbat has actually won a turing test and got the coveted silver medal). However some men really enjoy talking to these things.

 

That's how you can tell if a robot girlfriend is right for you before spending any money. Just download a free chatterbot at. http://www.alicebot.org  and see if you are the kind of person who can talk to her for hours on end and enjoy it.