Virtual Humans and Interactive Storytelling
November 19th, 2022 3:45 PM - 4:30 PM EST
Mei Si
Associate Professor, Cognitive Science Department & Graduate Program Director for Critical Game Design
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Website: https://faculty.rpi.edu/mei-si
Abstract: Narrative is an important aspect of the human experience. With the rapid advancement of computer technologies in recent years, virtual environments are becoming increasingly capable of providing a vivid, fictional world in which users can immerse and interact with virtual humans controlled by other users or by an AI system. Game designers have been looking into ways to use rich characters and narratives to engage the player. Virtual humans and social robots have also been widely used for training and pedagogical purposes, ranging from math and physics tutoring to language and social skills training. My research seeks to develop automated procedures for driving conversational agents’ verbal and nonverbal behaviors. In this talk, I will discuss AI techniques for creating virtual humans and interactive stories. The talk will focus on how different technologies can be applied to model virtual humans with personalities, emotions, and a theory of mind. I will also discuss the challenges and different approaches to creating interactive stories.
Bio: Mei Si is primarily interested in is artificial intelligence and its application in virtual and mixed realities. In particular, her research concentrates on computer-aided interactive narratives, embodied conversational agents and pervasive user interface, elements that make virtual environments more engaging and effective. Si has been using her research to develop virtual environments and intelligent conversational agents for serious games. In one example of her work, Si helped to develop the Tactical Language Training System, a large-scale (six to twelve scenes each for three languages) award-winning project funded by the U.S. military for rapid language and culture training. The system has been used by thousands of military personnel. Her recently published work includes "D.V. Modeling Appraisal in Theory of Mind Reasoning” in the Journal of Agents and Multi-Agent Systems, and book chapters "Virtual Interactive Interventions for Reducing Risky Sex - Adaptations, Integrations, and Innovations" in Interactive Health Communication Technologies - Promising Strategies for Health Behavior, and “Modeling Theory of Mind and Cognitive Appraisal with Decision-Theoretic Agents” in Social emotions in nature and artifact - Emotions in human and human-computer interaction.