Academia Meets Industry in Socially Interactive Agent Applications

The fields of Social Robotics and Intelligent Virtual Agents hold enormous promise for transforming education, healthcare, therapeutics, and e-commerce by facilitating more personalized, engaging, and communicative experiences for users. Despite significant advances in artificial intelligence, XR technology, and computer graphics over the past decade, the construction and application of artificial entities capable of exhibiting appropriate and coherent multimodal and expressive behaviors remain significant challenges. The realization of the potential of socially intelligent agents to assist humans in various domains can only be achieved through collaborative efforts between researchers with expertise in the underlying mechanisms of human-to-human communication, affective states, and turn-taking in dialogues, and technologists capable of foreseeing the implementation of technical solutions.

Unfortunately, a gap frequently exists between distilling research findings and applying them in the development of interactive socially intelligent agents for real-world solutions. Fostering platforms that encourage regular interaction between researchers and industry professionals could significantly facilitate the transfer of scientific knowledge to practical implementations. Now, more than ever, there is a need to more seamlessly integrate theoretical and research insights with the evolving technological capabilities of computers. Such integration can further have an impact on the future progress of Socially Intelligent Agents.

This workshop would bring together researchers and practitioners in the fields of Social Robotics and Intelligent Virtual Agents, fostering discussions on the practical implementation of their work across different areas of application.

Call for Contributions

We welcome submissions of the following types for presentation at the workshop:

Short Papers: max. 6 pages

Demo Papers: max. 3 pages

Position Papers: max. 3 pages

IMPORTANT DATES

Paper submission deadline: July 20, 2024
Acceptance notification: July 26, 2024
Camera-ready submission deadline: September 2, 2024
Workshop date: September 19, 2024

For more information, please refer to the Information for Authors page.

Keynote Speakers

Prof. dr. Gabriel Skantze

Professor in Speech Communication and Technology, with a specialization in Conversational Systems at KTH in Stockholm and a co-founder of Furhat Robotics.

Title: Conversational AI for Social Robots: Are We Ready Yet?

Abstract: For many years, the idea of robots—or any machine—that you can interact with through spoken language has intrigued science fiction writers, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Despite significant efforts over the past decades, this vision has proven difficult to realize, making it challenging to develop real-life applications that deliver actual value to users. However, recent years have seen transformative advancements in conversational AI, particularly in the development of large language models and other crucial components for human-robot interaction, such as speech technology and computer vision. In this talk, I will discuss the impact these advancements will have on the evolution of social robots, addressing not only dialogue management and generation but also aspects such as turn-taking, feedback, and expressiveness. I will highlight the opportunities presented by current state-of-the-art technologies, as well as the limitations of existing systems and the areas where further research is needed.

Deividas Mataciunas

ML engineer and co-founder of AQ22, a startup specializing in developing autonomous AI agents tailored for business professionals.

Title: The Role of Agentic Workflows in Business Applications

Abstract: In this keynote, we explore the forefront of AI technologies through agent-based automation, showcasing the transformative potential for businesses. We delve into the latest advancements in AI agents, capable of automating complex web and GUI tasks with unprecedented efficiency and precision. These intelligent agents promise to revolutionize workflows, reduce operational costs, and enhance decision-making processes. By examining real-world applications and case studies, we highlight the immediate and long-term impacts of integrating autonomous AI agents into business strategies. Join us to discover how cutting-edge autonomy is poised to reshape the future of business operations.

siaa.workshop.2024@gmail.com

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