Virtual recruiter on duty at Army Web site

[OhioChick]

01/03/07 -- 04:25 PM

“Sgt. Star” is prepared to answer prospective recruits’ questions about joining the Army.

Sgt. Star is the new “Strong, Trained and Ready” virtual guide on the Army’s recruiting Web site. The feature is intended to appeal to site visitors who are tech-savvy.

“We’ve tested Sgt. Star for several months on GoArmy.com, and in comparison to the site without him, we’ve seen longer session times, excellent accuracy and increased questioning among users,” said Gary Bishop, deputy for the Strategic Outreach Directorate in the Army Accessions Command.

The metrics bear out Bishop’s assessment of Sgt. Star’s contribution. Since he debuted in August, users’ sessions have lengthened from an average of four minutes to 16 minutes. And since the virtual guide was activated, he’s fielded more than 500,000 questions, with a 92 percent accuracy rate.
http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/42858-1.html



Meet SGT STAR, The U.S. Army's Software Recruiting Agent
January 03, 2007 (3:00 PM EST)

During months of testing, the software agent has fielded more than a half a million questions and caused visitors to stay longer on the Army Web site.


The U.S. Army has brought in an intelligent agent to assist its recruiting efforts.

SGT STAR, "an intelligent interactive guide that personalizes responses for each Web site visitors," makes his official debut today on GoArmy.com, having graduated from testing that began last August. The software sergeant is based on Spokane, Wash.-based Next IT's ActiveAgent technology, which aims to reduce the cost of online customer service through artificial intelligence.

SGT STAR's duty is to answer questions from potential recruits, and within the confines of his database of knowledge he does quite well. Asked "How long is the average tour of duty?", SGT STAR responded, " The length of a tour of duty would depend on how long the unit you are assigned to is tasked to stay in country. Normally, a tour of duty can be a year, but at times it could be less or more."

Faced with questions outside his pre-programmed expertise, however, he's less helpful. Asked "Who is the Secretary of Defense?", he answered, "That is a good question, however, I am not positive that I understand what you are asking. Try rephrasing your question. I understand simple questions best." The sergeant wasn't any more helpful in answering the question, "If I joined the Army, would I have to get an anthrax vaccination?"

To his credit, SGT STAR offers to refer questions to a live U.S. Army representative if he can't provide an answer.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196800783

[tabasco]

1. I was in the Army for a long time. I would normally encourage kids to join the service.

The criminal Bush administration has really changed my mind on that.

I would only want to fight in a war if I thought I was fighting for a just cause. Young people are smart enough to see the phony reasons foisted on us by the Bush cabal. I tell them to stay away from the military until this country has a responsible and loyal Commander In Chief. Right now, we have a criminal sociopath for President, and he didn't hesitate to sacrifice American troops for trumped-up reasons. Then he JOKED about those purportedly sincere reasons with a videotape of himself SEARCHING FOR WMDs IN THE OVAL OFFICE!

WHO WANTS TO BE IN THE MILITARY WHEN YOU HAVE A CRIMINAL LIKE THIS FOR PRESIDENT?

[54anickel]

2. Handsome and friendly looking dude, no?

[saigon68]

10. The new theme "Let's go kill some Ragheads"

Or maybe a "Camel Jockey" or 2

[htuttle]

3. "I do not understand your question. What is your favorite movie?"

:rofl: How much you want to bet http://www.alicebot.org/">A.L.I.C.E. is in there somewhere? Somebody ask it about "God"!

[LiberalFighter]

4. Everytime bush's name was in my question they

said they were not there to discuss politics

I asked when bush was going to send him to Iraq
I asked if bush gave him a deferment
I asked if they support bush

[Barrett808]

8. Or perhaps W.O.P.R. n/t

[Conscious Confucius]

5. I was displeased with Sgt. Star's answers.

Me: Do the troops really hate John Kerry?

SGT STAR: I think this job may be of interest to you.

Me: Will I be able to hunt for Bin Laden?

SGT STAR: Good question. I'm not sure how to answer that. Please try rewording your question. I understand simple questions best.

Me: Is Bin Laden a target of the army?

SGT STAR: Here are some jobs in that category that might be of interest to you.

Me: How long will I be deployed for?

SGT STAR: In times of war, deployment is likely. The possibility of deployment depends on your MOS and unit of assignment. All Soldiers must be strong, trained and ready upon assignment to a unit and prior to any deployment, including training exercises, humanitarian missions or combat operations. In general, deployments last a year or less.

Me: Do I have to purchase my own body armor?

SGT STAR: Hmmm, I've been trained to ask for help when I'm not sure about an answer. If you would like, you can ask another question or I can connect you my supervisor via 'Ask Live Help.'

Me: May I fight election fraud?

SGT STAR: In times of war, deployment is likely. The possibility of deployment depends on your MOS and unit of assignment. All Soldiers must be strong, trained and ready upon assignment to a unit and prior to any deployment, including training exercises, humanitarian missions or combat operations. In general, deployments last a year or less.

[lpbk2713]

6. *Do you love the smell of napalm in the morning?*

I'd like to ask but it's probably not worth the trouble.

[damntexdem]

7. Hey, maybe the virtual recruiter will be successful at signing up ...

virtual recruits. Of course, if Dungeons and Dragons characters start enlisting, the military is going to get real weird real fast.

(Yes, I know that D&D is a RPG.)

[Nihil]

9. You could take that idea further ...

"Roll a dice to find out what character class you are ...
oh, too bad, ... 'cannon fodder' ..."
:evilgrin: