"Act Crazy – Kalle Will Heal You"

Kalle the Home Psychiatrist Program Popularized Artificial Intelligence in the 1980s

Authors

• Petri Saarikoski Turun yliopisto
• Markku Reunanen Aalto-yliopisto
• Jaakko Suominen Turun yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1352-7699

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33355/tw.86772

Keywords:

artificial Intelligence, hobbyist programming, home computer press, home computer culture, media publicity

Abstract

This article deals with Kalle kotipsykiatri (home psychiatrist), Pekka Tolonen’s artificial intelligence application published on the Finnish Prosessori magazine in 1982. The original program was written for the Apple II, but the best known version running on the Commodore 64 was published by MikroBitti in 1984. The initial release by editor Jyrki J. J. Kasvi was ridden with bugs, which contributed to its fame. In this article, we analyze contemporary discussions on Kalle kotipsykiatri, put it in a wider context of hobbyist programming, as well as analyze the program code to reveal its underlying logic.