Artificial Companions in society
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Alan Newell
Abstract
Artificial Companions provide Companionship, and to help people with their daily tasks is an intriguing and exciting concept. In addition to the important technical challenges of providing such systems, it is also clearly important to consider: 1. What facilities they should and should not provide. 2. The characteristics, needs and wants of potential users and 3. The personal and social consequences of such technologies. These are complex, multi-faceted issues and it is necessary consider what are the most effective and beneficial ways of addressing them.
Abstract
Artificial Companions provide Companionship, and to help people with their daily tasks is an intriguing and exciting concept. In addition to the important technical challenges of providing such systems, it is also clearly important to consider: 1. What facilities they should and should not provide. 2. The characteristics, needs and wants of potential users and 3. The personal and social consequences of such technologies. These are complex, multi-faceted issues and it is necessary consider what are the most effective and beneficial ways of addressing them.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Foreword xi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Contributors xiii
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Section I. Setting the scene
- In good company? 3
- Introducing artificial Companions 11
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Section II. Ethical and philosophical issues
- Artificial Companions and their philosophical challenges 23
- Conditions for Companionhood 29
- Arius in cyberspace 35
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Section III. Social and psychological issues
- Conversationalists and confidants 59
- Robots should be slaves 63
- Wanting the impossible 75
- Falling in love with a Companion 89
- Identifying your accompanist 95
- Look, emotion, language and behavior in a believable virtual Companion 101
- New Companions 107
- On being a Victorian Companion 121
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Section IV. Design issues
- The use of affective and attentive cues in an empathic computer-based Companions 131
- GRETA 143
- A world-hybrid approach to a conversational Companion for reminiscing about images 157
- Companionship is an emotional business 169
- Artificial Companions in society 173
- Requirements for Artificial Companions 179
- You really need to know what your bot(s) are thinking about you 201
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Section V. Special purpose Companions
- A Companion for learning in everyday life 211
- The Maryland virtual patient as a task-oriented conversational Companion 221
- Living with robots 245
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Section VI. Afterword
- Summary and discussion of the issues 259
- References 287
- Index 309
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Foreword xi
- Acknowledgements xii
- Contributors xiii
-
Section I. Setting the scene
- In good company? 3
- Introducing artificial Companions 11
-
Section II. Ethical and philosophical issues
- Artificial Companions and their philosophical challenges 23
- Conditions for Companionhood 29
- Arius in cyberspace 35
-
Section III. Social and psychological issues
- Conversationalists and confidants 59
- Robots should be slaves 63
- Wanting the impossible 75
- Falling in love with a Companion 89
- Identifying your accompanist 95
- Look, emotion, language and behavior in a believable virtual Companion 101
- New Companions 107
- On being a Victorian Companion 121
-
Section IV. Design issues
- The use of affective and attentive cues in an empathic computer-based Companions 131
- GRETA 143
- A world-hybrid approach to a conversational Companion for reminiscing about images 157
- Companionship is an emotional business 169
- Artificial Companions in society 173
- Requirements for Artificial Companions 179
- You really need to know what your bot(s) are thinking about you 201
-
Section V. Special purpose Companions
- A Companion for learning in everyday life 211
- The Maryland virtual patient as a task-oriented conversational Companion 221
- Living with robots 245
-
Section VI. Afterword
- Summary and discussion of the issues 259
- References 287
- Index 309
