Generative Models of Group Members as Sup-port for Group Collaboration

Collaborating groups sometimes have to resolve conflicts among group members in terms of their preferences and values. When face-to-face or other synchronous communication is not possible, this type of conflict resolution is made relatively difficult by the low bandwidth of communication. We present an approach to this problem that is based on the idea of generative models of group members who are not currently available for communication. This approach is illustrated with reference to a prototype system for planning joint vacations.