VIVA2019: Benjamin Cowan - Reading a machine's mind: Partner modelling and human-agent conversation
Channel: AugustDerSmarte
Date: 30/10/2019

Voice agents have now become mainstream. It's therefore surprising how  little we know about user centered issues, in particular how design  guides what users actually say to these systems. These interactions  fundamentally rely on a metaphor of spoken conversation, which leaves  the possibility that psychological mechanisms that influence human-human dialogue are also at play in human-machine dialogue interactions. My  talk will explore what informs our beliefs about machine partners’  abilities (our partner models), how these affect language production in  interaction and whether we need to consider new metaphors for  conversational agent interaction.

VIVA2019 - The Summer School in the framework of DRESDEN-concept
provides young researchers (Master or PhD) with the opportunity
to deepen their understanding in the field of voice interaction.
The participants will explore user-centered challenges within
an interdisciplinary group (computer science, medical
informatics, psychology, medicine, nursing science, law, sociology,
economy, electronics, communication sciences etc.).
 A Design Sprint process will lead all groups eventually to a
prototype of a new skill that will be presented in a final public
event. The developmental process will be accompanied by modules on
social and societal challenges of this technology.

The participants experience challenging team work within the unique
network of scientists and cultural institutions of DRESDEN-concept!