Mahesh Viswanathan talks about Sally

At IBM's Industry Solutions Lab in Hawthorne, New York, Alan goes for a drive with a virtual smart passenger, named Sally by one of her inventors, Mahesh Viswanathan. Sally listens in to the driver all the time, picks up on what he or she is saying, and responds appropriately.

Sally also knows the driver's likes and dislikes, so if Alan says he's hungry she directs him to the nearest Italian restaurant, not a German one! Sally also checks to see if the driver is showing signs of sleepiness, and offers to play a game — such as "Name the Tune" — to keep him entertained and alert. But for Alan — an inveterate emailer — Sally's most endearing feature is that she can both take and reply to email by voice alone.