In the run-up to December 25th, Microsoft encouraged children to connect directly to Father Christmas by adding northpolelive.com to their Windows Live Messenger contact lists. MSN's "Santa Program" asked what they wanted for Christmas and responded using artificial intelligence.
All went well until a reader of the tabloid-style technology news site, The Register, reported that a chat between Santa and his young nieces about eating pizza led to some X-rated responses from the Christmas character. Microsoft were forced to close the chat facility after engineers failed to clean up the vocabulary being used. A company spokesman claimed later that the girls, aged 11 and 13, had provoked Father Christmas into using bad language.
;D
