Conversational agents: Theory and applications
Book chapter, 2022

In this chapter, we provide a review of conversational agents (CAs), discussing chatbots, intended for casual conversation with a user, as well as task-oriented agents that generally engage in discussions intended to reach one or several specific goals, often (but not always) within a specific domain. We also consider the concept of embodied conversational agents, briefly reviewing aspects such as character animation and speech processing. The many different approaches to representing dialogue in CAs are discussed in some detail, along with methods for evaluating such agents, emphasizing the important topics of accountability and interpretability. A brief historical overview is given, followed by an extensive overview of various applications, especially in the fields of health and education. We end the chapter by discussing the benefits and potential risks regarding the societal impact of current and future CA technology.

Author

Mattias Wahde

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Vehicle Engineering and Autonomous Systems

Marco Virgolin

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Vehicle Engineering and Autonomous Systems

Handbook On Computer Learning And Intelligence

Vol. 1-2 497-544
9789811247323 (ISBN)

Subject Categories

Learning

Philosophy

Interaction Technologies

DOI

10.1142/9789811247323_0012

More information

Latest update

7/12/2024