research about dialogue and dialogue systems and the department of linguistics

1. research about dialogue and dialogue systems and the department of linguistics • goal: • develop theories about human dialogue which can be used when building dialogue systems • explore the use of dialogue systems as interfaces to applications and services • Some projects • TRINDI: Task-Oriented and Instructional Dialogue • SIRIDUS: Specification, Interaction and Reconfiguration in Dialogue Understanding Systems • D´Homme: Dialogues in the Home Environment

2. From menu to dialogue Staffan Larsson Institutionen för lingvistik Göteborgs Universitet

3. Background • Many applications and services have menu-based interfaces • mobile phone • video • computer • automatic cinema ticket booking via phone • But menus have certain disadvantages • Dialogue systems provide more user-friendly interfaces

4. Overview • GoDiS: a dialogue system • Meny vs. dialogue • Menu components • Dialogue plans • Converting menus to dialogue plans • Examples

5. GoDiS: a dialogue system • dialogue manager • implemented using the information state approach • based on a theory about dialogue based on ”Questions Under Discussion” and dialogue plans • allows flexible dialogue

6. GoDiS architecture • modules: • speech recogniser • language interpreter • dialogue manager • language generator • speech synthesis • Information state • resources • lexicon, database, domain knowledge

7. control input inter- pret update select gene- rate output Information State lexicon data- base domain

8. Typical human-computer dialogin a travel agency S: Hello, how can I help you? U: I want price information please S: Where do you want to go? U: Paris S: How do you want to travel? U: A flight please S: When do you want to travel U: April S: what class did you have in mind? … S: The price is $123

9. Typical human-human dialogue S(alesman), C(ustomer) S: hi C: flights to Paris S: when do you want to travel? C: April, as cheap as possible ...

10. Flexible dialogue with GoDiS in the travel agency domain • answering question which have not yet been asked, but which are relevant to some task • S: when do you want to travel? • U: in April, as cheap as possible • providing information without specified task • S: hello • U: flights to Paris

11. Menus vs. dialogue:Drawbacks of menus • User must follow predesigned menu structure • this structure may be complicated and difficult to learn • menus allow only one activity at a time

12. Menu vs. dialogue:Advantages of flexible dialogue • provide information in any order • provide information without pre-specifying the task • doing several things at once • not necessary to learn menu structure

13. Menu components • multiple-choice list • the user selects one of several prespecified choices • dialogue window • user types requested information • tickbox • user ticks box (or not) • system message • information from system; user clicks ”OK”

14. Sample menu from a Noka 3210 • search phonebook • dialogue window to type in name • Name: _______ • message showing the number • Kalle 031 12 34 56 • tickbox: whether to call this person • Call • if a call is made, a message: • Calling 031 12 34 56

15. Dialogue plans • dialogue plans are partial specifications of how the system should act in a dialogue • action sequences, conditions etc • Actions: • find the answer to a question • answer a question • inform • search database • domain-specific actions, e.g. phone up number

16. Questions • yes/no-question • ” Do you want to call NN?” • wh-question: who, what, which.... • ”Who do you want to search for?” • alternative-question • ”Do you want to search, add to, erase from or change the phonebook?”

17. Converting from menu to dialogue plan

18. the menu again • search phonebook • dialogue window to type in name • message showing the number • tickbox: whether to call this person • if a call is made, a message

19. corresponding plan 1 question: what name? 2 search database for NUMBER matching the name 3 answer: the number is (NUMBER) 4 ask: do you want to call? 5 if yes then call up number:NUMBER inform: calling NAMN

20. another plan: assign ringing tone 1ask: what name? 2 ask: which ringing tone? 3 assign the ringing tone to the name 4inform: the ringing tone for (NAME) is no (RINGING TONE)

21. Example 1: standard menu navigation • U:Go to the phonebook • S: Phonebook. Do you want to search, add, or remove an entry, or assign a ringing tone? • U: Assign ringing tone • S: What name? • U: John • S: Which ringin tone? • U: Bossanova • S: The ringing tone for John is now Bossanova.

22. Example 2: providing information which has not been asked for • U: Assign ringing tone • S: What name? • U: Bossanova for John • S: The ringing tone for John is now Bossanova.

23. Example 3: provide information without assigning task(I) • U: Bossanova for John • S: The ringing tone for John is now Bossanova.

24. Example 4: provide information without assigning task (II) • U: 5 o’clock • S: Do you want to set the clock or the alarm clock? • U: alarm clock • S: the alarm clock is now set to 5

25. Example 5 (video): system requests missing information • U: record from 19:30 to 20:00 today • S: What channel? • U: Seven • S: OK, I will record channel 7 from 19:30 to 20:00 today.

26. Demo • GoDiS has been adapted to several domains, including • travel agency • mobile phone interface (course project) • interface to intellegent house • cinema ticket booking (MA thesis) • internet search (MA thesis) • telephone receptionist • We will give a demo of the mobile phone interface

27. demo • GoDiS i resebyrådomänen • 14.30-15.00 • F317

28. Dialogplaner • handling: A • handlingssekvens:A1,A2,..., An • villkorssatser: • if_then(P,C) • P är ett villkor • Om P är uppfyllt, gör C