Embodied Conversational AI
With a great passion for teaching languages in virtual worlds and VR, this presentation explains how to transform text-based chatbots into visually embodied digital companions with voice, facial expressions, and distinctive personalities. It begins by exploring how visual representation affects trust, empathy, and credibility in human-computer interaction. The concept of the uncanny valley is introduced, examining how human perception of almost-but-not-quite-human avatars can influence emotional responses, trust, and acceptance. Reflections and discussion points are raised on how people often attribute human-like qualities to embodied conversational AI and respond to them as if they were social beings, highlighting the psychological dynamics of human-AI interaction. This presentation includes showcasing prototypes by students of the newly founded AI and Societies Master Class in Berlin.
Speaker
-
Heike Philp (Poster booth #20)Heike Philp is an immersive language education specialist and teacher of German based in Germany. Philp co-initiated five European funded projects to develop accredited and certified teacher training courses for language teaching and learning in real-time at a distance. These EU Projects are LANCELOT, AVALON, CAMELOT, GUINEVERE and EXCALIBUR. Philp is co-founder and organiser of DaFWEBKON, an online conference for teachers of German and her research interest lies in using AI Companions as a language coach in virtual environments.
http://vlanguages.pbworks.com/w/page/118343718/vLanguages%20Wiki
