Technique for Conversations

2. Technique for Conversations Robert Zubek Northwestern University

3. What’s the focus? Strong language understanding Eliza My focus on stereotyped conversations

4. “The Breakup Conversation” • Tech stress-test • Set up: the computer is on the receiving end of a breakup conversation • Situation deliberately delicate and context-sensitive • Interaction takes place entirely over natural language

5. Alice: Bob? Bob: hi honey! Bob: i should get back to work Alice: we need to talk. Bob: hm? Bob: ok Alice: I've met someone else. Bob: what do you mean? Bob: oh no Alice: I mean I've met. Yes. Bob: i can't believe this Bob: i'm not sure what i should be saying Bob: where did this come from Alice: Bob, I think we have different needs. Bob: this doesn't tell me anything Bob: this is because i still live with parents Bob: you don't like that i'm staying at home Bob: isn't that true Bob: so... Alice: No Bob, well, that's part of it. Bob: i thought this was something real Bob: was i just a fool for caring about you Alice: No. I do care about you. Bob: that's cold Bob: you're being so mean Bob: is your mind made up? Alice: Bob, I just don't think you're ready for a Bob: so that's how it is Bob: i can really change Alice: relationship. Bob: listen why won't you just talk to me about what happened Bob: this is because i stay at home Bob: you hate that i'm lazy Bob: don't you Bob: so Alice: You're not lazy, Bob. Bob: it seemed to me this was something real Bob: was i wrong to care about you Alice: Bob, you're repeating yourself.

6. Failure modes are always interesting… • Alice: I never would have thought I was going out with a • Alice: republican. • Bob: hm • Alice: Bob, I can't go out with a republican. • Bob: :P • Alice: Don't just say "hmm...." • Alice: Just just make emoticons at me! • Alice: You fucking asshole, say something! • Bob: what a cruel thing to say to me • Bob: what did you say? • Alice: I said say something to me! • Bob: so • Alice: So????? • Bob: :P • Alice: You fuckhead. You're nothing but a stupid neo-con • Bob: you're being cruel again • Alice: looser.

7. Under the hood • Task knowledge compensates for weak NLP • Much interaction can be seen as stereotyped protocols, e.g. introductions, requests, topic shifts, evaluations, arguments, etc. • Decompose interaction into such protocols • Model protocols as state spaces (not FSMs)

8. Under the hood: finite state models • Player and computer both drive the conversation, therefore: • We can’t be sure what is the current state of each space • Need to estimate our position based on what’s been said so far • Specify what actions to perform based on this estimate • Markov Decision Process:probabilistic state estimation + action policy

9. Under the hood: more info • Overall system: hierarchy of Markov decision processes, running at the same time, all the time • Technical details available online or via email • System architecture and space estimation described in the paper • Communicative act estimation, action production, etc. to be described in the dissertation

10. Want to play? • Test version available in a few weeks – visit web site to get a copy: • TinyURL: http://tinyurl.com/52wyo • Full URL: http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/ ~rob/software/breakup/ • Or just email me • rob@cs.northwestern.edu

11. The End • Thanks to Robin!