DIGITAL COMPANIONS FOR HUMAN USERS

• US 20160171387A1
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Affinity Project, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Affinity Project, Inc.
• Inventors: Suskind, Ronald Steven
• Granted Patent: US 9,704,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/006 based on simulated virtual individual or collective life forms, e.g. social simulations or particle swarm optimisation [PSO]
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/04 Speaking with audible presentation of the material to be studied G09B5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/033 Voice editing, e.g. manipulating the voice of the synthesiser
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/08 Text analysis or generation of parameters for speech synthesis out of text, e.g. grapheme to phoneme translation, prosody generation or stress or intonation determination
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/00 Speech recognition G10L17/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/22 Procedures used during a speech recognition process, e.g. man-machine dialogue
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/0135 Voice conversion or morphing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination

Abstract

Among other things, a succession of conversations are facilitated between a user of a device and a non-human companion portrayed on the device, to develop a relationship between the user and the non-human companion over a time period that spans the successive conversations. The relationship is developed between the user and the non-human companion to cause a change in a state of the user over the time period. Each of the successive conversations is facilitated by actions that include the following. A segment of speech of the non-human companion is presented to the user. A segment of speech of the user is detected. The user'"'"'s segment of speech and the segment of speech presented to the user include portion of the conversation. At the device, information is received from an intelligent agent about a next segment of speech to be presented to the user, as determined by the intelligent agent based on intelligent processes applied to the segment of speech of the user and to the change in state to be caused.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising

facilitating successive conversations between a user of a device and a non-human companion portrayed on the device, to develop a relationship between the user and the non-human companion over a time period that spans the successive conversations,

the relationship being developed between the user and the non-human companion to cause a change in a state of the user over the time period,

the facilitating of each of the successive conversations comprising:

presenting to the user a segment of speech of the non-human companion,

detecting a segment of speech of the user,

the user'"'"'s segment of speech and the segment of speech presented to the user comprising a portion of the conversation,

receiving at the device, from an intelligent agent, information about a next segment of speech to be presented to the user, as determined by the intelligent agent based on intelligent processes applied to the segment of speech of the user and the change in state to be caused.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the companion is portrayed through speech and images or video.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the companion is portrayed as an animated character.

4. The method of claim 1 in which the relationship is caused to change over time.

5. The method of claim 1 in which characteristics or behavior or both of the companion changes over time based on intelligent processes of the intelligent agent.

6. The method of claim 1 in which the time period over which the relationship is developed is at least a year.

7. The method of claim 1 in which the change in state comprises an improvement in a diagnosed psychological or behavioral condition.

8. The method of claim 1 in which the developing of the relationship to cause the change of state comprises therapy.

9. The method of claim 8 in which the therapy comprises affinity therapy and the user is autistic.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising facilitating non-speech interaction with the user.

11. The method of claim 10 in which the non-speech interaction comprises presenting information to the user.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the information is presented on a display of the device.

13. The method of claim 10 in which the non-speech interaction comprises receiving input from the user.

14. The method of claim 1 in which the intelligent agent comprises a human.

15. The method of claim 14 in which the segment of speech of the user and information about interaction by the user with the device are provided in real-time to the human.

16. The method of claim 1 in which the intelligent agent comprises an automated process.

17. The method of claim 1 in which the intelligent agent comprises both an automated process and a human who interacts with the automated process.

18. The method of claim 17 in which the automated process and the human interact.

19. The method of claim 1 in which the user is unaware of the operation of the intelligent agent.

20. The method of claim 1 comprising the intelligent agent explicitly or implicitly eliciting from the user information about the user'"'"'s beliefs, opinions, emotions, goals, or desires.

21. The method of claim 1 comprising the intelligent agent deriving personal and demographic information about the user.

22. The method of claim 1 comprising the intelligent agent acquiring knowledge from public online sources of general information.

23. The method of claim 1 comprising forming a knowledge graph for the user.

24. The method of claim 1 comprising maintaining a log of the successive conversations and interactions between the user and the device.

25. The method of claim 15 comprising making the log available to a third party for study.

26. The method of claim 1 in which the companion is portrayed as having certain characteristics that include at least one of the following:

responsiveness, initiative, moodiness, emotion, opinions, beliefs, correct ability, and self-awareness.

27. The method of claim 1 in which facilitating successive conversations comprises correcting the intelligent agent when it makes a mistake.

28. The method of claim 1 comprising stereotyping the user and other users who share common characteristics, and operating the intelligent agent to take advantage of the stereotyping.

29. The method of claim 1 comprising representing concepts used in the conversations by a uniform knowledge representation.

30. The method of claim 1 in which the intelligent agent comprises a human, and the human'"'"'s voice is morphed for presentation to the user on the device.

31. The method of claim 30 in which the morphing comprises morphing to the vocabulary, grammar, and knowledge of the companion.

32. The method of claim 1 in which the intelligent agent comprises an automated intelligent agent, and the automated intelligent agent learns from scratch rather than being pre-trained.

33. A comprising

electronically facilitating successive spoken conversations and non-spoken interactions between a virtual companion portrayed on a device and a user of the device, to develop a relationship between the user and the virtual companion over a time period that spans the successive conversations and the interactions,

the relationship being developed between the user and the virtual companion to cause a change in a psychological state or behavior of the user over the time period,

the facilitating of each of the successive conversations and interactions comprising:

at the device, electronically presenting to the user a segment of speech of the virtual companion or a segment of non-speech information,

at the device, electronically detecting a segment of speech or a segment of non-speech input of the user,

each of the user'"'"'s segment of speech and the segment of speech presented to the user comprising a portion of the conversation,

the segment of other information presented to the user and the segment of non-speech input of the user comprising a portion of the interaction,

receiving at the device, from an intelligent agent, information about a next segment of speech or a next segment of non-speech information to be presented to the user, as determined by the intelligent agent,

the determination of the intelligent agent being based on (a) intelligent processes applied to at least one of the segment of speech presented to the user and the segment of non-speech input of the user speech previously presented to the user and (b) based on the change in psychological state or behavior to be caused.