Using Collaborative Discourse Theory to Partially Automate Dialogue Tree Authoring

We have developed a novel methodology combining hierarchical task networks with traditional dialogue trees that both partially automates dialogue authoring and improves the degree of dialogue structure reuse. The key to this methodology is a lightweight utterance semantics derived from collaborative discourse theory, making it a step towards dialogue generation based on cognitive models rather than manual authoring. We have implemented an open-source tool, called Disco for Games (D4g), to support the methodology and present a fully worked example of using this tool to generate a dialogue about baseball.

[1]  Alexander I. Rudnicky,et al.  The RavenClaw dialog management framework: Architecture and systems , 2009, Comput. Speech Lang..

[2]  Candace L. Sidner,et al.  An Artificial Discourse Language for Collaborative Negotiation , 1994, AAAI.

[3]  James A. Hendler,et al.  HTN Planning: Complexity and Expressivity , 1994, AAAI.

[4]  Charles Rich,et al.  A plug-in architecture for generating collaborative agent responses , 2002, AAMAS '02.

[5]  Charles Rich,et al.  Building Task-Based User Interfaces with ANSI/CEA-2018 , 2009, Computer.

[6]  Charles Rich,et al.  A Non-Modal Approach to Integrating Dialogue and Action , 2010, AIIDE.

[7]  Timothy W. Bickmore,et al.  DTask and LiteBody: Open Source, Standards-Based Tools for Building Web-Deployed Embodied Conversational Agents , 2009, IVA.

[8]  Alfred Kobsa,et al.  Computational Models of Mixed-Initiative Interaction , 2007, Springer Netherlands.

[9]  Timothy W. Bickmore,et al.  A reusable framework for health counseling dialogue systems based on a behavioral medicine ontology , 2011, J. Biomed. Informatics.

[10]  Candace L. Sidner,et al.  COLLAGEN: Applying Collaborative Discourse Theory to Human-Computer Interaction , 2001, AI Mag..

[11]  C. Sidner,et al.  Plans for Discourse , 1988 .

[12]  Li Zhang,et al.  Integrating Planning and Dialogue in a Lifestyle Agent , 2008, IVA.

[13]  Candace L. Sidner,et al.  COLLAGEN: A Collaboration Manager for Software Interface Agents , 1998, User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction.

[14]  Wendy Despain.  Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG , 2009 .

[15]  Jeff Orkin,et al.  Behavior Compilation for AI in Games , 2010, AIIDE.

[16]  Candace L. Sidner,et al.  Collaborative Discourse Theory as a Foundation for Tutorial Dialogue , 2002, Intelligent Tutoring Systems.

[17]  Karen E. Lochbaum,et al.  A Collaborative Planning Model of Intentional Structure , 1998, CL.