Computers Today, November 1-15, 2000; Marvels; The Virtual Agents

The Virtual Agents For centuries, scientists have been obsessed with the idea of creating artificial intelligence. With computers and the Internet they are finally getting closer to their goal. The latest avatars are the "agents" that can serve as a bridge between real humans and the Net. Some agents will work on voice recognition, while others in form of graphical interfaces that elicit a reaction from you-will read your face and gestures as well as your voice and your typed commands. Computer scientists and psychologists working at places like MIT and Stanford University, USA, are attempting to catalogue the physiological and psychological ways people interact so as to program them into a virtual person.

World of Virbots

A virbot (virtual robot) is a computer program that uses artificial intelligence to simulate intelligent conversations with users. They are part of the ever growing family of bots, all of which are loosely defined as any piece of software that works as an agent for you, travelling the Web to retrieve information, sort through data, and so on. These likeable, helpful agents make deep communication with technology a breeze, for beginners as well as experts.

Take for instance Rea. Rea (for real estate agent) is the creation of Professor Justine Cassell, a cognitive psychologist and linguistics expert at the MIT. She is a computer code brought to life in three-dimensional animated form. Her speech is syntactically correct, her gestures human.

Virbots have already begun to take posts on Web sites in sales and customer service. For example, Boston-based Artificial Life's animated sales representative, Kim, sells cellular telephones online for German telecom MobilCom. Unlike Rea, this virbot can't "read" the sales prospect who approaches her on the Internet. But she's more than just a pretty face: her winks, her gorgeous smile, her pre-programmed gestures and humanoid appearance make her answers to your questions more engaging than mere typed answers would be.

Extempo, which develops animated expert agents and natural language engines, has software that allow computers to engage in conversation with loosely scripted responses. Procter & Gamble hired Extempo to create a computer agent for its Mr. Clean character. Ask Mr. Clean "Why do you wear an earring?" and the bald muscular figure will give you a grin and say, "I wear an earring because it's fashionable". Marketers find that these humanoids do make people more comfortable with computers-much as the use of cartoon characters in TV advertising.

Artificial Life has created a virbot financial advisor, Ashton, who always wears a grey suit, blue shirt and a checked tie. You can get much of the information doled out by this virbot from any good financial portal but Ashton makes the experience more personal.

The Human Touch

What makes these virbots more human is that their expressions and gestures are coordinated with a database that assigns qualities to thousands of words. The virbot would thus smile warmly when a visitor says "Hello", and with hands on his hips grimace when called "stupid".

Virbots are also expected to play a big role in the classroom as education moves to the Web. They can help keep students engaged and their (students') minds from wandering. Artificial Life has a virbot named Einstein who teaches physics (what else?). If you've avoided answering a question for a long time, professor Einstein taps on the blackboard to get your attention. Do poorly on one of his quizzes and he will adjust the level of his next lecture. Attention, please.

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