Content providing support device, content providing support method, and content providing support program

Abstract

To provide a technology that can favorably support the provision of a content for building online communication.SOLUTION: A content providing support device according to the present disclosure is a content providing support device that supports the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, and includes a control unit that executes the following operations of acquiring, from a user, predetermined selection information related to an avatar, acquiring avatar information related to an avatar that is to establish communication with the user on the basis of the selection information, providing, to the user, content that displays an avatar generated on the basis of the avatar information, and acquiring a predetermined reaction from the user to the content.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a content provision support device, a content provision support method, and a content provision support program that support the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art With the widespread use of mobile devices such as smartphones, online communication has become more and more common. For example, instant messaging applications enable users to chat with each other or make voice or video calls.

[0003] Furthermore, in online communication, video content is also shared between users on the basis of social networks.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a content providing system that distributes video content on a content platform built on a social platform that provides social services. In this technology, when at least one conversation partner is selected from a list of others who have a relationship with the user through the social network, a video playback screen that plays the video content is displayed together with a conversation screen with the conversation partner. This can further stimulate video services with a new distribution channel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-41286 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In online communication, for example, instant messaging applications enable users to chat with each other and make voice or video calls. On the other hand, online services are not limited to such communication between users, and in recent years, video services that transmit videos from video creators to viewers have become very popular.

[0007] According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, users can communicate with each other while sharing video content, which may make it seem like online communication between users can be more conveniently established. However, the video content shared here is a video service that is transmitted one way from the video creator to the viewer, and the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not meet the needs of users who want to directly participate in the video content. In online communication, it is desirable to communicate not only between users, but also directly with video content.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology that can favorably support the provision of content for building online communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The content provision support device of the present disclosure is a content provision support device that supports the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, and includes a control unit that executes the following operations: acquiring, from the user, predetermined selection information related to the avatar, acquiring avatar information related to the avatar that will establish communication with the user based on the selection information, providing, to the user, the content that displays the avatar generated based on the avatar information, and acquiring a predetermined reaction from the user to the content.

[0010] According to the content delivery support device, a user can communicate with an avatar online in the same way that users can enjoy chatting or making voice or video calls with each other using an instant messaging application, for example.

[0011] In the content provision support device of the present disclosure, the avatar information may include posting information by an influencer who posts on a social networking service. The control unit may further execute the following: providing the user with the content displaying the avatar generated to imitate the influencer based on the posting information, acquiring a predetermined active rate in communication between the user and the avatar in the content as the reaction, and granting a predetermined incentive to the influencer based on the active rate. This makes it possible to actively encourage the influencer to post on the social networking service. As a result, if the posting information is more substantial, the avatar can more appropriately imitate the influencer, and as a result, the active rate is more likely to improve, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which the influencer's incentive increases. In this case, the control unit may further execute the following: calculating a predetermined intimacy between the user and the avatar in the content, and granting the influencer an additional incentive according to the intimacy. This intimacy may be visualized for the user in the content. This allows a user to add a gamification element to communication with the avatar. In addition, since an additional incentive is given to the influencer according to the degree of intimacy, the user can be motivated to support the influencer by increasing the degree of intimacy with the avatar. The control unit may further execute the following operations: acquiring user information including attributes and / or behavioral patterns of the user based on communication between the user and the avatar in the content; and adjusting the appearance and / or behavior of the avatar that establishes communication with the user according to the preferences of the user inferred based on the user information.

[0012] Furthermore, in the above content provision support device, the control unit may generate dialogue data based on the posted information, and cause the avatar to communicate in the content based on the dialogue data. This allows the user to feel closer to the influencer through the avatar, and the user's satisfaction in communication with the avatar may be increased. In this case, the control unit may further acquire the active rate in communication based on the dialogue data, acquire posted data in the posted information that was the source of the topic that contributed to the increase in the active rate, and provide the posted data to the influencer. At this time, the control unit may provide the influencer with communication data between the user and the avatar (a dialogue record in text or voice) together with the posted data. This allows the influencer to obtain information about the posted data that has attracted the user's interest. This allows the influencer to be encouraged to make posts that are likely to attract the user's interest, and as a result, the posted information that is likely to attract the user's interest is enriched, which makes it easier to improve the active rate, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which the influencer's incentive increases.

[0013] In the content delivery support device of the present disclosure, the control unit may obtain, as the selection information, information including a character generation request related to the avatar, and obtain, as the avatar information, character attributes of the avatar corresponding to a keyword extracted from the generation request, and obtain a prompt for generating the avatar based on the character attributes. In this way, based on a simple character generation request from a user, an avatar that satisfies the generation request with relatively high accuracy can be generated.

[0014] In this case, when acquiring character attributes of the avatar as the avatar information, the control unit may acquire the character attributes by supplementing the creation request with additional information based on collaborative filtering using comparison with other users. In this way, character attributes that suitably correspond to the creation request from the user can be acquired using information from other users who have similar tastes to the user.

[0015] The present disclosure can also be understood from the aspect of a content provision support method by a computer. That is, the content provision support method of the present disclosure is a content provision support method that supports the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, in which a computer executes the following operations: acquiring, from the user, predetermined selection information related to the avatar, acquiring avatar information related to the avatar that will establish communication with the user based on the selection information, providing, to the user, the content that displays the avatar generated based on the avatar information, and acquiring a predetermined reaction from the user to the content.

[0016] The present disclosure can also be understood from the aspect of a content provision support program. That is, the content provision support program of the present disclosure is a content provision support program that supports the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, and causes a computer to execute the following operations: acquiring, from the user, predetermined selection information related to the avatar, acquiring avatar information related to the avatar that establishes communication with the user based on the selection information, providing, to the user, the content that displays the avatar generated based on the avatar information, and acquiring a predetermined reaction from the user to the content. Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to favorably support the provision of content for building online communication. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a content delivery support system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in more detail the components of a server included in the content delivery support system according to the first embodiment, and also showing the components of a user terminal that communicates with the server. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of the content delivery support system in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating examples of screens displayed in an interface used to input selection information in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating examples of information posted by influencers on SNS. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a first diagram illustrating content provided to a user. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a second diagram illustrating content provided to a user. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a third diagram illustrating content provided to a user. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram for explaining an additional incentive given to an influencer depending on the degree of intimacy in communication between a user and an avatar. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of a content delivery support system in a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation flow of the content delivery support system in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen displayed by an interface used to input selection information in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present disclosure is not limited to the configurations of the embodiments.

[0020] First Embodiment An overview of the content delivery support system in the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the content delivery support system in the present embodiment. The system 100 according to the present embodiment includes a network 200, a server 300, and a user terminal 400. The content delivery support system of the present disclosure is a system that supports the delivery of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, and the process for supporting the delivery of the content is executed by the server 300.

[0021] The network 200 is, for example, an IP network. If the network 200 is an IP network, it may be wireless, wired, or a combination of wireless and wired. For example, in the case of wireless communication, the user terminal 400 may access a wireless LAN access point (not shown) and communicate with the server 300 via a LAN or WAN. Furthermore, the network 200 is not limited to these examples, and may be, for example, a public switched telephone network, an optical fiber line, an ADSL line, a satellite communication network, or the like.

[0022] The server 300 is connected to a user terminal 400 via a network 200. For ease of explanation, one server 300 and four user terminals 400 are shown in Fig. 1, but it goes without saying that the number of users is not limited to this.

[0023] The server 300 may be any electronic device having a processing capability for arithmetic processing such as data acquisition, generation, and updating, and processing, such as a personal computer, a server, a mainframe, or other electronic device. That is, the server 300 may be configured as a computer having a processor such as a CPU or GPU, a main storage device such as a RAM or ROM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an EPROM, a hard disk drive, or a removable medium. The removable medium may be, for example, a USB memory or a disk recording medium such as a CD or DVD. The auxiliary storage device stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, and the like.

[0024] In addition, the server 300 may appropriately use SaaS (Software as a Service), Paas (Platform as a Service), or IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) provided by a cloud server, without having to provide software, hardware, an OS, etc., dedicated to the system 100 of this embodiment.

[0025] The user terminal 400 may be any electronic device such as a mobile terminal owned by a user who uses the system 100, and may be, for example, a mobile terminal, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a wearable terminal, a personal computer, or other terminal devices.

[0026] Next, the components of the server 300 will be mainly described in detail with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 shows the components of the server 300 included in the content delivery support system in the first embodiment in more detail, and also shows the components of the user terminal 400 that communicates with the server 300.

[0027] The server 300 has, as functional units, a communication unit 301, a storage unit 302, and a control unit 303, and can realize functions that match the predetermined purpose of each functional unit by loading a program stored in an auxiliary storage device into a working area of ​​a main storage device and executing the program, and controlling each functional unit through the execution of the program. However, some or all of the functions may be realized by hardware circuits such as ASIC and FPGA.

[0028] Here, the communication unit 301 is a communication interface for connecting the server 300 to the network 200. The communication unit 301 includes, for example, a network interface board and a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The server 300 is connected to the user terminal 400 and other external devices via the communication unit 301 so as to be able to communicate with them.

[0029] The storage unit 302 includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device. The main storage device is a memory in which the program executed by the control unit 303 and data used by the control program are expanded. The auxiliary storage device is a device in which the program executed by the control unit 303 and data used by the control program are stored. The storage unit 302 stores image data of influencers (described later) and information posted by the influencers in advance. The storage unit 302 can also store data transmitted from the user terminal 400 or the like. The server 300 can acquire data transmitted from the user terminal 400 or the like via the communication unit 301.

[0030] The control unit 303 is a functional unit that manages the control performed by the server 300. The control unit 303 can be realized by an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU. The control unit 303 further includes three functional units: an acquisition unit 3031, a provision unit 3032, and a calculation unit 3033. Each functional unit may be realized by executing a stored program by the CPU.

[0031] The acquisition unit 3031 acquires selection information from the user. Here, the selection information is information regarding the selection of an avatar with which the user wishes to communicate. For example, in this embodiment, the user can use the user terminal 400 to select an image with which the user wishes to communicate from image data of a plurality of influencers displayed on a predetermined interface, and transmit the image to the server 300. The acquisition unit 3031 acquires the selection information by acquiring the information transmitted from the user terminal 400 in this manner, and stores the information in the storage unit 302 of the server 300. The acquisition unit 3031 also acquires avatar information based on the selection information. Here, the avatar information is information regarding an avatar with which communication is established between the user and the avatar, and in this embodiment, is information regarding the influencer whose image was selected by the user. In more detail, the acquisition unit 3031 acquires, as the avatar information, information posted on a social networking service (SNS) by the selected influencer (this information can be stored in advance in the storage unit 302 of the server 300) and attribute information of the selected influencer. The acquisition unit 3031 can acquire attribute information such as the influencer's appearance and behavior data from the SNS server or other external servers. The above-mentioned posting information can also be acquired by accessing the SNS server.

[0032] Here, an influencer is a social networking service (SNS) user who has an account on the SNS, and in particular, the influencer's account is linked to the accounts of many other SNS users, and who has a great influence on society through the SNS. The content posted by an influencer on an SNS is not only made public to other SNS users (called followers) who are linked to the influencer's account, but is also widely disseminated to the general public by repeated reposting, quoting, and rating by the followers of the followers, and therefore influencer marketing, which utilizes the influence of influencers, has been attracting attention in recent years.

[0033] Furthermore, SNS users, such as followers of influencers, may wish to communicate with influencers online, for example, in the same way that users enjoy chatting or making voice or video calls with each other using instant messaging applications.

[0034] Therefore, the system 100 according to the present embodiment supports the provision of content for building online communication between users and avatars that mimic influencers.

[0035] The user terminal 400 in this embodiment, which is used for transmitting the above-mentioned selected information and participating in content, has a communication unit 401, an input / output unit 402, and a storage unit 403 as functional units. The communication unit 401 is a communication interface for connecting the user terminal 400 to the network 200, and is configured to include, for example, a network interface board and a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication. The input / output unit 402 is a functional unit for displaying information transmitted from the outside via the communication unit 401, and inputting the information when transmitting the information to the outside via the communication unit 401. The storage unit 403 is configured to include a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, similar to the storage unit 302 of the server 300.

[0036] The input / output unit 402 further includes a display unit 4021, an operation input unit 4022, and an image / audio input / output unit 4023. The display unit 4021 has a function of displaying various information, and is realized, for example, by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, or the like. The operation input unit 4022 has a function of accepting operation input from a user, and is specifically realized by soft keys or hard keys such as a touch panel. The image / audio input / output unit 4023 has a function of accepting input of images such as still images and videos, and is specifically realized by a camera using an image sensor such as a Charged-Coupled Devices (CCD), a Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS), or a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS). The image / audio input / output unit 4023 has a function of accepting input and output of audio, and is specifically realized by a microphone or a speaker.

[0037] Then, the user can transmit the above-mentioned selection information, participate in the content, etc., using the user terminal 400 configured in this way. Here, the server 300 may transmit to the user terminal 400 an interface provided for these purposes.

[0038] The providing unit 3032 provides the user with content that displays an avatar generated based on the avatar information. In this embodiment, the providing unit 3032 provides the user with content that displays an avatar generated to resemble an influencer based on the posting information. The providing unit 3032 may display an avatar generated by the server 300 using a known technique based on the avatar information in the content, or may display an avatar generated by an external server based on the avatar information in the content. The providing unit 3032 can provide the user with the content by transmitting the content to the user terminal 400, or by transmitting information or an interface for accessing the content to the user terminal 400.

[0039] The calculation unit 3033 acquires a predetermined reaction by the user in the communication between the user and the avatar in the content, and calculates an incentive to be given to the influencer based on the reaction. Here, the reaction is, for example, an active rate in the communication. Details of the process executed by the calculation unit 3033 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0040] The control unit 303 executes the processes of the acquisition unit 3031, the provision unit 3032, and the calculation unit 3033, thereby functioning as a control unit according to the present disclosure.

[0041] Here, the flow of operations of the content delivery support system in this embodiment will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of operations of the content delivery support system in this embodiment. Fig. 3 illustrates the flow of operations between the server 300 and the user terminal 400 in the system 100 in this embodiment, and the processes executed by the server 300 and the user terminal 400.

[0042] In this embodiment, first, access information is input to the user terminal 400 of the user (S101). Here, the access information is information about access to a website for leading the user to a communication service with an avatar, such as a user ID and a password. Then, the access information is transmitted from the user terminal 400 of the user to the server 300. Then, the server 300 acquires the information transmitted from the user terminal 400 of the user (S102).

[0043] When the server 300 acquires the access information from the user, it then transmits the image data of the influencer to the user terminal 400 (S103). Then, the user terminal 400 acquires the information (S104), and the information selected by the user is input to the user terminal 400 (S105).

[0044] Here, Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed in an interface used to input selection information in this embodiment. The screen SC1 illustrated in Fig. 4 is displayed on the display unit 4021 of the user terminal 400 of the user, and the screen SC1 illustrated in Fig. 4 shows image data SC11 of a plurality of influencers and a selection button SC12. The user can select an influencer that is the basis of the avatar to be communicated with and transmit the selection to the server 300 as selection information by pressing the selection button SC12 of the influencer.

[0045] 3, when the server 300 acquires the above-mentioned selection information (S106), it then acquires avatar information based on the selection information (S107). In this embodiment, the server 300 accesses the SNS server to acquire information posted on the SNS and attribute information by the influencer selected by the user.

[0046] Here, Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating information posted on an SNS by an influencer. The screen SC2 illustrated in Fig. 5 is displayed on an SNS interface, and image data SC21 and text data SC22 of the influencer are displayed on the screen SC2 illustrated in Fig. 5. The server 300 can obtain the appearance and behavior data of the influencer from such posted information. The server 300 can also obtain attribute information of the influencer based on a profile registered on the SNS or a profile registered separately.

[0047] 3, the server 300 generates content that displays an avatar that is generated to resemble the influencer based on the avatar information (S108). The generated content is then transmitted to the user terminal 400, and the user terminal 400 acquires the information (S109).

[0048] Here, FIG. 6 is a first diagram illustrating content provided to a user. The screen SC3 illustrated in FIG. 6 is displayed on the display unit 4021 of the user terminal 400 of the user, and the screen SC3 illustrated in FIG. 6 shows a chat field SC31 between the user and the avatar, and a request button SC32. Note that, for communication with the user by the avatar in the chat field SC31, an AI chatbot technology that uses artificial intelligence or the like to output output text data that is an appropriate response to input text data may be used. In addition, at this time, the avatar may be caused to execute communication based on predetermined dialogue data. Here, the above dialogue data is data that may be generated based on information posted on an SNS by an influencer, and the server 300 may generate the dialogue data by, for example, extracting a topic for communication from the text data included in the posted information. In addition, in communication between a user and an avatar, when the user provides a topic related to data included in the posted information that is the source of the above dialogue data, the server 300 may cause the avatar to execute communication including a favorable response. Communication based on such dialogue data allows the user to feel closer to the influencer through the avatar, and can also increase the user's satisfaction in communicating with the avatar.

[0049] Moreover, Fig. 7 is a second diagram illustrating the content provided to the user. In the example shown in Fig. 7, as shown in Fig. 7(a), a video generation is requested by the user. Then, the server 300 generates a video according to the user's request, and provides video content SC33 as shown in Fig. 7(b).

[0050] FIG. 8 is a third diagram illustrating content provided to a user. In the example shown in FIG. 8, as shown in FIG. 8(a), a user requests communication by telephone. Then, the server 300 accepts the user's request and provides a schedule selection calendar SC34 as shown in FIG. 8(b). Then, when the user selects a desired date and time for communication by telephone, the server 300 provides the user with access information for the communication. This allows the user to communicate with the avatar by accessing the provided access destination. At this time, the avatar can speak using a synthetic voice generated by machine learning the voice data of the influencer. In addition, when a video call is made, facial expression generation may be performed so that the facial expression of the avatar changes in accordance with the speech of the avatar.

[0051] According to this, users can communicate online with avatars that mimic influencers, for example, in the same way that users enjoy chatting or making voice or video calls using an instant messaging application. The system 100 can provide the above content to users, thereby favorably supporting the provision of content for building online communication.

[0052] Returning to Fig. 3, in the user terminal 400, data (frequency and duration of communication) for calculating a predetermined active rate in communication between the user and the avatar in the above content is detected (S110). Then, the server 300 acquires the active rate (S111). Here, the active rate is defined based on the frequency of dialogue between the user and the avatar in chats and calls (number of responses to dialogue) and the duration of the dialogue, and can be calculated, for example, by the ratio of the frequency of actual dialogue to the monthly upper limit number of dialogues, or the ratio of the duration of actual dialogue to the monthly upper limit duration of dialogue.

[0053] Then, the server 300 calculates an incentive to be given to the influencer based on the above-mentioned active rate (S112). The calculated incentive is sent to, for example, an SNS server, which acquires the information (S113). The influencer can then obtain information about the incentive via the SNS server. Here, the above-mentioned incentive is a portion of the money charged by the user for using the system 100. In other words, an influencer whose avatar is used in online communication with a user in the system 100 can receive a return of a profit based on the charge made by the user.

[0054] For example, the above incentive may be calculated by a fixed pay-per-use system. In this case, the incentive is calculated as a fixed amount regardless of the value of the active rate up to a certain threshold (for example, an active rate of 20%) (for example, even if there is no communication with the user by the avatar, that is, the active rate is 0%, 10% of the profit based on the user's charge is calculated as the incentive), and for the amount of the active rate exceeding the threshold, the incentive may be calculated by a pay-per-use system, for example, by adding the percentage of the active rate to the above fixed amount (for example, if the active rate is 50%, the incentive is 1.5 times the fixed amount, and if the active rate is 100% (for example, if the actual time spent interacting reaches the upper limit of monthly interactions), the incentive is twice the fixed amount).

[0055] In this way, by providing an incentive to the influencer who is the source of the avatar based on the active rate of communication between the user and the avatar in the content, and by generating the avatar based on the information posted by the influencer, the influencer can be actively encouraged to post on SNS. As a result, the more the posted information is enriched, the more appropriately the avatar can imitate the influencer, which makes it easier to improve the active rate, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which the influencer's incentive increases.

[0056] Furthermore, the server 300 may provide an additional incentive to the influencer depending on the degree of intimacy in communication between the user and the avatar in the above content.

[0057] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an additional incentive given to an influencer according to the degree of intimacy in communication between a user and an avatar.

[0058] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9(a), image requests, video requests, phone requests, and information disclosure are exemplified as influencing factors for improving intimacy. Here, image requests, video requests, and phone requests can be detected by pressing the request button shown in FIG. 6 above. The above information disclosure represents disclosure of user-specific information such as personal attributes, behavioral characteristics, and preferences of the user, and can be detected by analyzing chat data and voice data in communication between the user and the avatar based on well-known natural language processing. It is considered that such information disclosure will not involve a user disclosing his / her own unique information unless the user is intimate enough with the avatar to trust it sufficiently. Therefore, the intimacy improvement points for information disclosure, which will be described later, can be set higher than the intimacy improvement points for image requests, video requests, and phone requests. In this embodiment, the server 300 can calculate the intimacy between the user and the avatar, for example, based on the intimacy improvement points linked to these influencing factors.

[0059] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9(b), an additional incentive is given to the influencer based on the intimacy improvement points calculated as described above. For example, an influencer whose calculated intimacy improvement points in communication with a user are between 100 and 200 points may be given an incentive that is 10% higher than the normal incentive calculated based on the return of profits based on the charges made by the user (which is calculated based on the active rate as described above).

[0060] Such intimacy may be made visible to the user in the above content. This allows the user to add a gamification element to communication with the avatar. In addition, since an additional incentive is given to the influencer according to the intimacy, the user is motivated to increase the intimacy with the avatar and support the influencer.

[0061] In the above-described process of S110 to S111, the server 300 may acquire user information including the attributes and / or behavioral patterns of the user based on the communication between the user and the avatar in the above content. For example, when the user is talking about information about attributes such as his / her age, location, occupation, etc. in a chat room, the server 300 can acquire the information as user information based on well-known natural language processing. Also, for example, when the user is talking about information about behavioral patterns such as how to spend holidays, the server 300 can acquire the information as user information based on well-known natural language processing.

[0062] The server 300 may adjust the appearance and / or behavior of the avatar that establishes communication with the user, according to the preferences of the user that are inferred based on the user information. Here, the server 300 may infer, based on the user information, for example, that the user's hobby is driving, if the user often drives a car on holidays. According to such preferences of the user, the server 300 may adjust the appearance of the avatar, for example, to clothes suitable for a drive date. This allows the user to feel a sense of closeness to the avatar.

[0063] According to the above-described system 100, it is possible to favorably support the provision of content for building online communication.

[0064] <Modification of the first embodiment> A modified example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. As described in the above description of the first embodiment, the server 300 can generate dialogue data by extracting topics for communication from text data included in information posted by an influencer, for example, and cause an avatar to carry out communication based on the dialogue data.

[0065] Therefore, in the system 100 according to this modification, the server 300 acquires the active rate in the communication based on the above-mentioned dialogue data, and acquires the posted data in the posted information that was the source of the topic that contributed to the increase in the active rate. Then, the server 300 further executes providing the posted data to the influencer.

[0066] Here, Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of operations of the content provision support system in this modified example. Fig. 10 explains the flow of operations between the server 300 and the user terminal 400 in the system 100 in this modified example, and the processes executed by the server 300 and the user terminal 400. Note that, in each process shown in Fig. 10, the same reference numerals are used for the processes substantially the same as those shown in Fig. 3 above, and detailed explanations thereof are omitted.

[0067] In the example shown in FIG. 10, the server 300 acquires the active rate in the communication between the user and the avatar based on the dialogue data in the process of S110 to S111. Furthermore, in this modification, the posted data in the posted information that is the source of the topic that contributed to the increase in the active rate is acquired at this time. Here, as described above, the active rate can be defined based on, for example, the frequency of dialogue between the user and the avatar in chat or phone call (the number of responses to the dialogue). Then, the server 300 can extract the topic that contributed to the increase in the active rate by acquiring the frequency of dialogue for each topic in the communication between the user and the avatar. Then, by referring to the posted information, the posted data that is the source of the topic included in the dialogue data can be acquired.

[0068] In the example shown in FIG. 10, after the server 300 transmits the information regarding the incentive to the SNS server, it further transmits the above-mentioned posting data to the SNS server in S114. The SNS server then acquires the information (S115). This allows the influencer to obtain information regarding the posting data that has attracted the user's interest via the SNS server. This can encourage the influencer to make posts that are likely to attract the user's interest, and as a result, the amount of posting information that is likely to attract the user's interest increases, which makes it easier to increase the activity rate, thereby creating a virtuous cycle in which the influencer's incentive increases.

[0069] The server 300 may transmit communication data (a record of dialogue by text or voice) between the user and the avatar at that time together with the posted data. Furthermore, the server 300 may also transmit recommendation information to further attract the user's interest based on the communication data.

[0070] The system 100 described above can also favorably support the provision of content for building online communication.

[0071] <Second embodiment> The second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. In the above first embodiment, an example was described in which a user establishes communication with an avatar generated to resemble an influencer. In contrast, in the present embodiment, an example is described in which an avatar is generated based on a user's request to generate a character.

[0072] Here, Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of operations of the content delivery support system in this embodiment. Fig. 11 illustrates the flow of operations between the server 300 and the user terminal 400 in the system 100 in this embodiment, and the processes executed by the server 300 and the user terminal 400.

[0073] In this embodiment, similarly to FIG. 3 above, the server 300 acquires the user's access information (S201 to S202).

[0074] Then, when the server 300 acquires the access information from the user, it next transmits the primary selection image data of the character to the user terminal 400 (S203). Then, the user terminal 400 acquires the information (S204), and the selection information by the user is input to the user terminal 400 (S205).

[0075] Here, Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed in an interface used to input selection information in this embodiment. The screen SC4 illustrated in Fig. 12 is displayed on the display unit 4021 of the user terminal 400 of the user, and the screen SC4 illustrated in Fig. 12 shows primary selection image data SC41 of the character, a selection button SC42, a character generation request input field SC43, and a send button SC44. Here, the primary selection image data SC41 of the character is multiple character image data that have already been generated, and is data for allowing the user to select a preferred appearance. Then, the user can select a preferred image for generating an avatar to communicate with, and transmit the selection to the server 300 as selection information by pressing the selection button SC42 of the image.

[0076] The character creation request input field SC43 is a field for receiving input of a character creation request from the user, and the user is asked to input the character creation request in a short sentence. For example, short sentences such as "kind, handsome guy," "cool, tsundere," and "lively, talkative girl" can be input into the character creation request input field SC43. Then, the user can transmit the creation request to the server 300 as selection information by pressing the send button SC44.

[0077] Returning to FIG. 11, when the server 300 acquires the above selection information (S206), it then acquires avatar information based on the selection information (S207). In this embodiment, the server 300 acquires, as avatar information, character attributes of the avatar corresponding to the keywords extracted from the above generation request (the generation request input in the character generation request input field SC43), and acquires a prompt for generating an avatar based on the character attributes. Here, the above keywords are important words for expressing a character, and can be extracted based on well-known natural language processing. The keywords are, for example, "kind" and "handsome". The server 300 randomly generates character attributes corresponding to such keywords. Then, it generates a prompt for generating an avatar based on the character attributes (this is a prompt used in the generation AI, and is, for example, a specific explanatory sentence such as "a beautiful boy with a kind expression, blonde hair, wavy semi-long hair, wearing neat clothes, and his hobby is reading").

[0078] Here, when randomly generating character attributes corresponding to a keyword, there is a risk that the attribute information will be insufficient if it is only the user's generation request (the request input in the character generation request input field SC43).

[0079] Therefore, in the system 100 according to this embodiment, the server 300 acquires character attributes by supplementing the above generation request with additional information based on collaborative filtering using comparison with other users.

[0080] In more detail, for an image selected by a user from the primary selection image data of the character, it is determined whether the image has also been selected by other users, and if so, information about avatars generated for other users is referenced to supplement the attribute information of the image as additional information for the above generation request. This makes it possible to obtain character attributes that suit the generation request from the user by using information from other users who have similar tastes to the user.

[0081] Then, server 300 generates an avatar based on such avatar information, generates content to display the avatar (S208), and transmits the generated content to user terminal 400, which acquires the information (S209).

[0082] This makes it possible to generate an avatar that satisfies a user's simple character generation request with relatively high accuracy.

[0083] The system 100 described above can also favorably support the provision of content for building online communication.

[0084] <Other Modifications> The above embodiment is merely an example, and the present disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. For example, the processes and means described in the present disclosure may be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

[0085] Furthermore, the processing described as being performed by one device may be shared and executed by a plurality of devices. For example, the acquisition unit 3031 may be formed in a processing device separate from the server 300. In this case, the separate processing device is configured to be able to cooperate favorably with the server 300. Furthermore, the processing described as being performed by different devices may be executed by a single device. In a computer system, the hardware configuration (server configuration) by which each function is realized can be flexibly changed.

[0086] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors of the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program may be provided to the computer by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk, such as a magnetic disk (floppy disk, hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD disk, Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 100···System 200 Network 300...Server 301 Communications Department 302...Storage section 303 Control section 400 User terminal

Claims

1. A content provision support device that supports the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, comprising: obtaining from the user predetermined selection information regarding the avatar; acquiring avatar information regarding the avatar with which communication is established between the avatar and the user based on the selection information; providing the content to the user, the content displaying the avatar generated based on the avatar information; acquiring a predetermined reaction by the user to the content; A content provision support device comprising a control unit that executes the above.

2. The avatar information includes posting information by an influencer who posts on a social networking service, The control unit is providing the user with the content displaying the avatar generated to resemble the influencer based on the posted information; acquiring a predetermined active rate in communication between the user and the avatar in the content as the response; and further executing the step of providing a predetermined incentive to the influencer based on the active rate. The content providing support device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is The method further includes calculating a predetermined degree of intimacy between the user and the avatar in the content; providing the influencer with an additional incentive in accordance with the degree of intimacy; The content providing support device according to claim 2.

4. The control unit is acquiring user information including attributes and / or behavioral patterns of the user based on communication between the user and the avatar in the content; and adjusting the appearance and / or behavior of the avatar that establishes communication with the user according to preferences of the user inferred based on the user information. The content providing support device according to claim 2.

5. The control unit is generating dialogue data based on the posted information, and having the avatar execute communication based on the dialogue data in the content; The content providing support device according to claim 2.

6. The control unit is acquiring the active rate in communication based on the dialogue data, and acquiring post data in the post information that was the source of a topic that contributed to an increase in the active rate; providing the posting data to the influencer; The content providing support device according to claim 5.

7. The control unit is As the selection information, information including a desire to generate a character related to the avatar is obtained; acquiring, as the avatar information, character attributes of the avatar corresponding to the keyword extracted from the generation request, and acquiring a prompt for generating the avatar based on the character attributes; The content providing support device according to claim 1 .

8. The control unit is When acquiring character attributes of the avatar as the avatar information, the character attributes are acquired by supplementing the request for generation with additional information based on collaborative filtering using comparison with other users. The content providing support device according to claim 7.

9. A content provision support method for supporting the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, comprising the steps of: The computer obtaining from the user predetermined selection information regarding the avatar; acquiring avatar information regarding the avatar with which communication is established between the avatar and the user based on the selection information; providing the content to the user, the content displaying the avatar generated based on the avatar information; acquiring a predetermined reaction by the user to the content; A content provision support method that executes the above.

10. A content provision support program for supporting the provision of content for establishing communication between a user and an avatar, comprising: On the computer, obtaining from the user predetermined selection information regarding the avatar; acquiring avatar information regarding the avatar with which communication is established between the avatar and the user based on the selection information; providing the content to the user, the content displaying the avatar generated based on the avatar information; acquiring a predetermined reaction by the user to the content; A content provision support program that enables the above.

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