Conversation provision system and device

Abstract

We provide a conversation delivery system with improved usability. [Solution] The conversation provision system comprises conversation units 84, 86, 88 that instruct a task processing device 50, which processes tasks using artificial intelligence in response to task processing instructions, to generate conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents for the user, and acquire the conversation content generated by the task processing device 50 and output it to the user, and notification units 78, 82, 92 that, for each individual notification to the user from each of the plurality of virtual agents which is an individual notification source, make a main notification to the user with the main agent among the plurality of virtual agents as the notification subject, based on the individual notification source and individual notification content of each individual notification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conversation providing system and apparatus that uses artificial intelligence to provide a conversation with a plurality of virtual agents to a user.

Background Art

[0002] For a user, a conversation with a plurality of virtual agents is provided using artificial intelligence. As such a plurality of virtual agents, a main agent that conducts a conversation with the user and a specialized expert agent specialized in various services are used (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When using a plurality of virtual agents, if each virtual agent notifies the user, the usability for the user will deteriorate.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a conversation providing system and apparatus with improved usability for the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a conversation provision system comprising: a conversation unit that instructs a task processing device, which processes tasks using artificial intelligence in response to task processing instructions, to generate conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents to a user, and acquires the conversation content generated by the task processing device and outputs it to the user; and a notification unit that, for each individual notification to the user with each of the plurality of virtual agents as the individual notification source, makes a main notification to the user with the main agent among the plurality of virtual agents as the notification subject, based on the individual notification source and individual notification content of each individual notification.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a conversation providing device comprising: a conversation output unit that instructs a task processing device, which processes a task using artificial intelligence in response to a task processing instruction, to generate conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents to a user, and acquires and outputs the conversation content generated by the task processing device; and a notification output unit that outputs a main notification with the main agent among the plurality of virtual agents as the notification subject, based on the notification source and notification content of each individual notification to the user with each of the plurality of virtual agents as the individual notification source. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This invention makes it possible to improve usability. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a conversation provisioning system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of a conversation provision system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3A] A first sequence diagram illustrating a conversation delivery method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3B] A second sequence diagram illustrating a conversational delivery method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3C] A third sequence diagram illustrating a conversational delivery method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3D] A fourth sequence diagram illustrating a conversation delivery method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3E] A fifth sequence diagram illustrating a conversation provision method according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] A table and diagram illustrating how to set individual priorities for individual notifications in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] A table illustrating the notification method based on the primary priority of key notifications in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] A table and diagram illustrating the contents of individual notices and major notices for each of the following applications of the Act on Implementing a Cross-Disciplinary Organization. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram showing the agent selection screen of one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. In the following, a virtual agent that engages in conversation with a user using artificial intelligence will be referred to as an AI agent. Among the multiple AI agents prepared in a conversational application, the AI ​​agent that primarily engages in conversation with the user will be referred to as the primary agent. While some AI agents provide information to the user according to a specific purpose or assist the user in performing various procedures, the primary agent that primarily engages in conversation with the user is expected not only to provide information and perform procedures according to a specific purpose, but also to build a close relationship with the user, gain the user's trust, and become a supportive presence for the user.

[0011] In this embodiment, for each individual notification sent to the user from each of the multiple AI agents, the main agent acts as the notification provider and sends the main notification to the user based on the priority assigned according to the user's interest information, and the content of each individual notification is summarized. The main agent then acts as a personal secretary for the user, improving usability and enabling a better relationship between the user and the main agent.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the conversation provision system of this embodiment includes a conversation provision server 10, a generation server 50 as a task processing device, a plurality of client terminals 60, and a user terminal 70. In the figures, the plurality of client terminals 60 are represented by a single client terminal 60.

[0013] Referring to Figure 1, the hardware configuration of the conversation provisioning system of this embodiment will be described. Since the hardware configurations of the conversation provision server 10 and the generation server 50 are the same, they will be described collectively as servers below. Similarly, since the hardware configurations of the client terminal 60 and the user terminal 70 are the same, they will be described collectively as terminals below.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, servers 10 and 50 are physically configured as computers including a processor 211, memory 212, storage 213, communication device 214, input device 215, output device 216, and buses connecting them. Each of these devices operates on power supplied from a battery (not shown). In the following description, the term "device" can be read as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of servers 10 and 50 may include one or more of the devices shown in the figure, or it may be configured without some of the devices. Alternatively, multiple devices with different enclosures may be connected via communication to constitute servers 10 and 50.

[0015] Each function in the servers 10 and 50 is realized by causing a processor 211 to perform operations, control communication by a communication device 214, or control at least one of reading and writing data in a memory 212 and a storage 213 by loading a predetermined software (program) onto hardware such as the processor 211 and the memory 212.

[0016] The processor 211 controls the entire computer by operating an operating system, for example. The processor 211 may be constituted by a central processing unit (CPU: Central Processing Unit) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, registers, and the like. Also, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, or the like may be realized by the processor 211.

[0017] The processor 211 reads a program (program code), a software module, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 213 and the communication device 214 into the memory 212, and executes various processes according to these. As the program, a program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of the operations described later is used. The functional blocks of the servers 10 and 50 may be stored in the memory 212 and realized by a control program operating in the processor 211. Various processes may be executed by one processor 211, but may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 211. The processor 211 may be mounted by one or more chips. Note that the program may be transmitted to the servers 10 and 50 via a telecommunication line.

[0018] Memory 212 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. Memory 212 may also be referred to as a register, cache, main memory, etc. Memory 212 can store executable programs (program code), software modules, etc., for carrying out the method according to this embodiment.

[0019] The storage 213 is a computer-readable recording medium and may consist of at least one of the following: an optical disc such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disc, a digital multipurpose disc, a Blu-ray® disc), a smart card, flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy® disk, a magnetic strip, etc. The storage 213 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device.

[0020] The communication device 214 is hardware (transceiver / receiver device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as a network device, network controller, network card, communication module, etc.

[0021] Each device, such as the processor 211 and memory 212, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or different buses may be used for each device.

[0022] Servers 10 and 50 may be configured with hardware such as microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and some or all of each functional block may be implemented by such hardware. For example, processor 211 may be implemented using at least one of these hardware components.

[0023] Terminals 60 and 70 are computers such as smartphones, mobile phones, tablets, or wearable devices. Physically, terminals 60 and 70 are configured as computer devices including a processor 261, memory 262, storage 263, communication device 264, input device 265, output device 266, and a bus connecting them. The processor 261, memory 262, and storage 263 are hardware similar to the processor 211, memory 212, and storage 213 of the information processing device.

[0024] The communication device 264 may include, for example, a high-frequency switch, duplexer, filter, frequency synthesizer, etc., to implement at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, the transmitting and receiving antennas, amplifier section, transmitting and receiving section, transmission path interface, etc., may be implemented by the communication device 264. The transmitting and receiving section may be physically or logically separated into a transmitting section and a receiving section.

[0025] The input device 265 is an input device that accepts input from an external source (e.g., a key, microphone, switch, button, sensor, reader, scanner, etc.). The output device 266 is an output device that outputs to an external source (e.g., a display, speaker, LED lamp, etc.). The input device 265 and the output device 266 may be configured as an integrated unit (e.g., a touchscreen).

[0026] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the functional configuration and conversation provision method of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, each functional configuration of the conversation provision system will be described in accordance with each step of the conversation provision method. The conversation provision program of this embodiment works in cooperation with the hardware configuration of the conversation provision system of this embodiment described above to realize each functional configuration of the conversation provision system of this embodiment and to execute each step of the conversation provision method.

[0027] Furthermore, in one embodiment described below, the user is provided with a conversation with the AI ​​agent through voice input and voice output, but the user may also be provided with a conversation with the AI ​​agent through text input and text output on the screen.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, in the conversation provision system, the conversation provision server 10 stores user database 14 (hereinafter also referred to as "user DB14") which is associated with user identification information that identifies the user, main agent identification information that identifies the main agent that primarily engages in conversations with the user, affinity information that indicates the user's affinity to each AI agent, user preference information that indicates the user's preferences, and conversation history information that indicates the conversation history between the user and each AI agent.

[0029] Furthermore, the agent database 16 (hereinafter also referred to as "Agent DB16") stores agent feature information for numerous AI agents, associated with each agent's identification information, indicating the characteristics of each AI agent. Agent feature information includes voice information, character feature information, field-specific information, and importance information. Voice information is used to generate the voice of the AI ​​agent. Character feature information indicates the character characteristics of the AI ​​agent. Field-specific information identifies the field of expertise of the AI ​​agent. Here, the AI ​​agents used include conversational agents whose primary purpose is to converse with the user, and specialized agents that provide information to the user or assist the user in various procedures in specific specialized fields, and are operated by various clients such as businesses and government offices. The field of expertise of an AI agent is general conversation if the AI ​​agent is a conversational agent, and the specific specialized field handled by that specialized agent if the AI ​​agent is a specialized agent. The importance information indicates the importance of the AI ​​agent to the user and is determined according to the field of expertise of the AI ​​agent and the client operating the AI ​​agent.

[0030] As shown in Figures 2 and 3A, the conversation provision system and conversation provision method allow the user to select the primary agent with whom they will primarily engage in conversation, and also allow the user to select the current agent with whom they are currently engaging in conversation, as described below.

[0031] Conversation application startup step S12 The user terminal 70 has a conversation application installed for engaging in conversation with the AI ​​agent. On the user terminal 70, the application launch unit 72 launches the conversation application in response to the user's operation to launch the conversation application.

[0032] Primary agent selection step S14 On the user terminal 70, the main agent selection unit 74 presents the user with several conversation agents, primarily designed for conversation with the user, from among the multiple AI agents prepared for the conversation application, and allows the user to select the main agent with whom they will primarily converse. The user can select the main agent through on-screen selection operations, voice input, etc. The multiple conversation agents prepared for the conversation application correspond to existing characters and original characters created for the conversation application, and the user can select their preferred character as the main agent with whom they will primarily converse.

[0033] Primary agent designation request step S16 On the user terminal 70, the main agent selection unit 74 sends a main agent designation request to the conversation provision server 10, specifying the main agent selected by the user, along with user identification information to identify the user and main agent identification information to identify the main agent.

[0034] Primary agent designation step S18 In the conversation server 10, the agent designation unit 12 stores the main agent designation information in the user DB 14 in association with the user identification information, in response to a main agent designation request received from the user terminal 70 along with the user identification information and main agent identification information.

[0035] Current agent selection step S22 On the user terminal 70, the current agent selection unit 76 allows the user to select the current agent to converse with at the moment from among the multiple AI agents prepared in the conversation application, and sets current agent identification information to identify the current agent. The user can select the current agent by selecting it on the screen, by voice input, etc. In the conversation application, in addition to the multiple conversation agents mentioned above, there are also multiple specialized agents that are operated by various clients such as businesses and government offices, which provide information to the user in specific areas of expertise, assist the user in various procedures, etc. The main agent may be selected as the current agent, and when the conversation application is started, the main agent is usually automatically selected as the current agent.

[0036] Current agent image display step S24 On the user terminal 70, the image generation unit 78 generates a current agent image indicating the current agent, and the image display unit 82 displays the current agent image generated by the image generation unit 78 to the user.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2 and 3B, the conversation provision system and conversation provision method, as described below, involve the current agent responding to utterances from the user to the current agent.

[0038] Speech acquisition step S28 In the user terminal 70, the voice acquisition unit 84 acquires the voice spoken by the user to the current agent and obtains voice information indicating the spoken voice.

[0039] Answer generation request step S32 On the user terminal 70, the conversation execution unit 88 sends a response generation request to the conversation provision server 10, along with the utterance voice information, user identification information, and current agent identification information acquired by the voice acquisition unit 84, requesting the current agent to generate a response to the user. This response generation request instructs the conversation generation AI to generate a response from the AI ​​agent to the user.

[0040] Speech analysis step S34 In the conversation provision server 10, the speech analysis unit 18 analyzes the utterance audio information received from the user terminal 70 along with user identification information and current agent identification information, generates utterance audio text data by converting the utterance audio into text, and outputs it to the conversation generation instruction unit 24 along with the user identification information and current agent identification information.

[0041] Answer generation instruction step S36 In the conversation provision server 10, when the conversation generation instruction unit 24 receives utterance text data along with user identification information and current agent identification information from the speech analysis unit 18, it extracts conversation history information associated with the user identification information and current agent identification information from the user DB 14, and extracts agent feature information associated with the current agent identification information from the agent DB 16. The conversation history information shows the conversation history between the user and each AI agent, and if the conversation history information is large, only a certain amount of the most recent conversation history information is extracted. The agent feature information shows the characteristics of the AI ​​agent and includes character feature information that shows the character characteristics of the AI ​​agent, and field identification information that identifies the field in which the AI ​​agent handles. The field in which the AI ​​agent handles is set to normal conversation if the AI ​​agent is a conversation agent, and to a specific specialized field handled by the specialized agent if the AI ​​agent is a specialist agent.

[0042] Next, the conversation generation instruction unit 24 generates a response generation prompt based on the utterance speech text data, conversation history information, character feature information, and field identification information, and sends it to the generation server 50 along with user identification information, current agent identification information, and field identification information. The response generation prompt instructs the conversation generation AI corresponding to the field handled by the current agent to generate response text data that shows the current agent's response to the most recent utterance from the user indicated by the utterance speech text data. The instruction is to ensure that the current agent's response is natural in light of the conversation history and matches the character features and field handled by the current agent.

[0043] Answer generation step S38 In the generation server 50, the conversation generation unit 52 utilizes LLM (Large Language Models) and is equipped with multiple conversation generation AIs corresponding to the fields handled by each AI agent. These multiple conversation generation AIs include a general conversation generation AI and conversation generation AIs corresponding to the specialized fields handled by each specialized agent. The specialized conversation generation AIs are fine-tuned based on information about their respective fields.

[0044] The conversation generation unit 52 receives a response generation prompt from the conversation provision server 10 along with user identification information, current agent identification information, and field identification information, inputs it to a conversation generation AI corresponding to the field of handling identified by the field identification information, receives response text data indicating the current agent's response from the conversation generation AI, and transmits the response text data to the conversation provision server 10 along with the user identification information and current agent identification information.

[0045] Conversation history update step S42 In the conversation provision server 10, the conversation generation instruction unit 24 updates the conversation history information by adding the utterance text data input from the speech analysis unit 18 along with the user identification information and the current agent identification information, as well as the response text data received from the generation server 50 along with the user identification information and the current agent identification information, to the conversation history information associated with the user identification information and the current agent identification information in the user DB 14. The conversation generation instruction unit 24 also outputs the response text data along with the user identification information and the current agent identification information to the speech generation unit 22.

[0046] Answer voice generation step S44 In the conversation provision server 10, when the voice generation unit 22 receives response text data along with user identification information and current agent identification information from the conversation generation instruction unit 24, it extracts voice information of agent feature information associated with the current agent identification information from the agent DB 16, generates response voice data by converting the response text data into voice using the current agent's voice, and transmits it to the user terminal 70 identified by the user identification information. In this embodiment, the voice generation unit 22 and the conversation generation instruction unit 24 form the conversation output unit.

[0047] Answer voice output step S46 In the user terminal 70, the conversation execution unit 88 acquires the response voice data received from the conversation provision server 10 and outputs it to the voice output unit 86. The voice output unit 86 then outputs the current agent's response to the user based on the response voice data input from the conversation execution unit 88. In this way, in this embodiment, the conversation unit is formed by the voice output unit 86 and the conversation execution unit 88.

[0048] As shown in Figures 2 and 3C, the conversation provision system and conversation provision method set or update in the user DB14, as described below, intimacy information indicating the user's level of familiarity with each AI agent and user preference information indicating the user's preferences.

[0049] Conversation analysis instruction step S52 In the conversation provision server 10, the conversation analysis instruction unit 26 extracts conversation history information associated with user identification information and agent identification information from the user DB 14, and generates sensitive information extraction prompts and preference information extraction prompts based on the extracted conversation history information, and sends them to the generation server 50 along with the user identification information and agent identification information. The sensitive information extraction prompt instructs the generation AI for conversation analysis to extract sensitive information indicating the degree of sensitivity of the conversation between the user and the current agent from the conversation history information. The preference information extraction prompt instructs the generation AI for conversation analysis to extract user preference information indicating the user's preferences from the conversation history. The conversation analysis instruction unit 26 then outputs the extracted conversation history information along with the user identification information and agent identification information to the intimacy setting unit 28.

[0050] Conversation analysis step S54 In the generation server 50, the conversation analysis unit 54 is equipped with a generation AI for conversation analysis that utilizes LLM. The conversation analysis unit 54 inputs the sensitive information extraction prompt and the preference information extraction prompt, received from the conversation provision server 10 along with user identification information and agent information, to the generation AI for conversation analysis, receives the sensitive information and user preference information outputs from the generation AI for conversation analysis, and transmits the sensitive information and user preference information to the conversation provision server 10 along with user identification information and agent identification information.

[0051] Intimacy level setting step S56 In the conversation provision server 10, the intimacy setting unit 28 sets the intimacy level of the user identified by the user identification information to the AI ​​agent identified by the agent identification information, based on the amount of conversation indicated by the conversation history information input from the conversation analysis instruction unit 26 along with the user identification information and agent identification information, and the sensitivity level of the conversation indicated by the sensitive information received from the generation server 50 along with the user identification information and agent identification information, and stores the intimacy information indicating the intimacy level in the user DB 14.

[0052] Regarding the setting of intimacy levels, instead of analyzing conversation history using a generative AI for conversation analysis, the level may be set based on the number of times, frequency, and total time the AI ​​agent has operated as the primary agent or current agent, or it may be set in combination with the analysis of conversation history using a generative AI for conversation analysis.

[0053] User preference setting step S58 In the conversation provision server 10, the user preference setting unit 32 sets user preferences based on the user preference information received from the generation server 50 along with the user identification information, and stores the user preference information in the user DB 14, which is associated with the user identification information.

[0054] Regarding the setting of user preferences, instead of analyzing conversation history using a generative AI for conversation analysis, user preferences may be set based on user input, user purchase history on the user's device, content viewing or browsing history, website search and browsing history, etc., or these may be combined with the analysis of conversation history using a generative AI for conversation analysis.

[0055] Update step S62 If conversation history information is updated in User DB14, the familiarity information and user preference information will be updated in User DB14 as appropriate, in the same manner as in the steps described above.

[0056] As shown in Figures 2 and 3D, the conversation provision system and conversation provision method, as described below, prioritizes each individual notification to the user from each of the multiple AI agents, based on interest information related to the user's interests, and summarizes the content of each individual notification. Based on the individual notification source and the summary of the individual notification content, the main agent makes a main notification to the user.

[0057] Individual notification provision step S68 On the client terminal 60, the individual notification provision unit 62 generates individual notification information indicating individual notifications from a specialized agent to a user in response to input from a client such as a company operating a specialized agent or a government office, and transmits it to the conversation provision server 10. The individual notification information includes individual notification identification information that identifies the individual notification, individual notification destination information indicating the user identification information of the individual notification recipient, individual notification source information indicating the agent identification information of the individual notification source agent, individual notification content information indicating the content of the individual notification, and individual notification related information indicating information related to the individual notification. Examples of individual notification content will be described in detail later.

[0058] Individual notification generation step S72 In the conversation server 10, the individual notification generation unit 34 generates individual notification information indicating individual notifications from conversation agents to users and outputs it to the individual notification acquisition unit 36. The individual notification information indicating individual notifications from conversation agents to users is the same as the individual notification information indicating individual notifications from specialized agents to users, and examples of the content of individual notifications will also be described in detail later.

[0059] Individual notification acquisition step S74 In the conversation server 10, the individual notification acquisition unit 36 ​​acquires individual notification information received from the client terminal 60 and individual notification information input by the individual notification generation unit 34, and outputs it to the priority setting unit 38.

[0060] Individual priority setting step S76 In the conversation provision server 10, the priority setting unit 38 sets individual priority information, which is the priority of individual notifications, based on the individual notification information input from the individual notification acquisition unit 36, according to the interest information about the user's interests, adds the individual priority information indicating the individual priority to the individual notification information, and then outputs the individual notification information to the main notification generation unit 44.

[0061] Specifically, the priority setting unit 38 extracts user preference information and affinity information from the user DB 14, which are associated with the user identification information of the individual notification recipient user and the agent identification information of the individual notification source agent, respectively, as indicated by the individual notification recipient information and individual notification source information. It also extracts importance information from the agent DB 16, which are associated with the agent identification information of the individual notification source agent, as indicated by the individual notification source information. Here, the importance information indicates the importance of the AI ​​agent and is determined by the field of the AI ​​agent and the client operating the AI ​​agent. For each individual notification identified by the individual notification identification information, the priority setting unit 38 sets individual priority information indicating the individual priority based on affinity information indicating the affinity of the individual notification recipient user to the individual notification source agent, importance information indicating the importance of the individual notification source agent to the user, notification content information indicating the content of the individual notification, and user preference information indicating the preferences of the individual notification recipient user. An example of how to set the individual priority of individual notifications will be described in detail later. To set individual priorities for individual notifications, you may use a conversational analysis-based generation AI, similar to the familiarity or user preference settings described above.

[0062] Main notification generation request step S78 In the conversation server 10, the main notification provision unit 42 provides main notifications at time intervals or frequencies corresponding to the main priority of the main notification. An example of a notification method based on the main priority of the main notification will be described in detail later.

[0063] The main notification provision unit 42 outputs a main notification generation request to the main notification generation unit 44, at a predetermined time before the notification time corresponding to the main priority of the main notification, requesting the generation of main notification information indicating the main notification to be notified at that notification time, along with main priority information indicating the main priority of the main notification to be notified at that notification time. The main notification information includes main notification identification information that identifies the main notification, main priority information indicating the main priority which is the priority of the main notification, main notification destination information indicating the recipient of the main notification, main notification source information indicating the source of the main notification, individual notification group information indicating the group of individual notifications included in the main notification, and main notification content information indicating the content of the main notification.

[0064] Setting the primary notification recipient and primary notification source step S82 In the conversation provision server 10, when the main notification generation unit 44 receives a main notification generation request along with main priority information from the main notification provision unit 42, it extracts individual notification information from the individual notification information input from the priority setting unit 38 and temporarily stored, indicating each individual notification that shares the same user identification information of the individual notification destination user indicated by the individual notification destination information, and sets the user identification information of the common individual notification destination user as the main notification destination information indicating the notification destination user of the main notification. In addition, the main notification generation unit 44 extracts main agent identification information associated with the user identification information indicated by the main notification destination information from the user DB 14, and sets it as the main notification source information indicating the notification source agent of the main notification.

[0065] Individual notification group setting step S84 In the conversation provision server 10, the main notification generation unit 44 extracts individual notification information for each individual notification from the individual notification information that shows individual notifications that share the user identification information of the individual notification recipient users mentioned above. This extract includes individual priority information that shows the individual priority corresponding to the main priority indicated by the main priority information output by the main notification provision unit 42, and sets it as individual notification group information that shows the group of individual notifications included in the main notification. Once individual notification information has been extracted, it will be excluded from extraction in the next time.

[0066] Main notification content generation instruction step S86 In the conversation provision server 10, the main notification generation unit 44 generates a main notification content generation prompt based on the individual notification group information and sends it to the generation server 50 along with the main notification identification information. The main notification content generation prompt instructs the conversation generation AI, which normally generates conversations, to generate main notification content information that indicates the main notification content. The main notification content that is instructed to be generated is a list of combinations of individual notifications indicated by each individual notification information included in the individual notification group information, the individual notification source agent indicated by the individual notification source information, and the individual notification summary content indicated by the individual notification content information, which are summaries of the individual notification content indicated by the individual notification content information. Examples of the main notification content of a main notification will be described in detail later.

[0067] Main notification content generation step S88 In the generation server 50, the conversation generation unit 52 inputs the main notification content generation prompt received from the conversation provision server 10 along with the main notification identification information to the conversation generation AI for generating normal conversations, receives the main notification content information output from the conversation generation AI, and transmits the main notification content information along with the main notification identification information to the conversation provision server 10.

[0068] Main notification content setting step S92 In the conversation provision server 10, the main notification generation unit 44 sets the main notification content information received from the generation server 50 along with the main notification identification information as the main notification content information of the main notification associated with the main notification identification information, and outputs the main notification information to the main notification provision unit 42.

[0069] Main notification step S94 In the conversation provision server 10, when the main notification provision unit 42 receives main notification information from the main notification generation unit 44, it transmits the main notification information to the conversation provision server 10 at the notification time corresponding to the main priority indicated by the main priority information of the main notification information. Thus, in this embodiment, the notification output unit is formed by the main notification provision unit 42 and the main notification generation unit 44.

[0070] Main notification step S98 In the user terminal 70, when the main notification unit 92 receives main notification information from the conversation provision server 10, it generates a main notification image based on the main notification content information using the image generation unit 78, and displays the main notification image to the user using the image display unit 82. The main notification image is displayed in the form of a push notification, widget display, etc. Thus, in this embodiment, the notification unit is formed by the main notification unit 92, the image generation unit 78, and the image display unit 82.

[0071] As described above, for each individual notification with each AI agent as the source agent, an individual priority is set for each individual notification according to the user's interests, each individual notification is grouped together according to its individual priority to set a main priority, the content of each individual notification is summarized, and based on the source and summary content of each individual notification, the main agent sends a main notification at time intervals or frequencies based on the main priority. As a result, the user does not receive individual notifications from multiple AI agents, the user does not receive frequent main notifications for individual notifications of low interest, and the content of the main notifications does not become cumbersome.

[0072] As shown in Figures 2 and 3E, the conversation provision system and conversation provision method select the current agent with whom the user is currently having a conversation from the individual notification source agents of each individual notification included in the main notification, as described below, and initiate a conversation with that current agent, starting from the individual notification.

[0073] Response operation response step S102 On the user terminal 70, if the user responds to the main notification image while the conversation application is not running, or if the user launches the conversation application while the main notification image is displayed, the application launch unit 72 launches the conversation application. Furthermore, if the conversation application is launched by the application launch unit 72, or if the user responds to the main notification image while the conversation application is running, the current agent selection unit 76 selects the main agent as the current agent to converse with the user at this time, the image generation unit 78 generates a main agent image representing the main agent, and the image display unit 82 displays the main agent image generated by the image generation unit 78 to the user. Responses to the main notification image can be performed by the user via voice input, touch operation, click operation, etc.

[0074] Main notification voice instruction step S104 In the user terminal 70, the main notification unit 92 inputs the main notification content information to the conversation execution unit 88, and the conversation execution unit 88 sends a main notification voice conversion instruction, which converts the main notification content indicated by the main notification content information into voice, to the conversation provision server 10 along with the main notification content information, main agent identification information, and user identification information.

[0075] Main notification voice conversion step S106 In the conversation provision server 10, the voice generation unit 22, in response to the main notification voice conversion instruction received from the user terminal 70 along with the main notification content information, main agent identification information, and user identification information, extracts voice information of agent feature information associated with the main agent identification information from the agent DB 16, generates main notification content voice conversion information in which the main notification content indicated by the main notification content information is spoken using the voice of the main agent, and transmits it to the user terminal 70 identified by the user identification information.

[0076] Main Notice Notification Step S108 In the user terminal 70, the conversation execution unit 88 acquires the main notification content speech information received from the conversation provision server 10 and outputs it to the voice output unit 86. The voice output unit 86 then outputs the main notification content to the user as voice based on the main notification content speech information input from the conversation execution unit 88.

[0077] Agent selection screen display step S112 On the user terminal 70, when the user requests the display of the agent selection screen, the main notification unit 92 generates the agent selection screen using the image generation unit 78 based on the main notification information, and displays the selection screen generated by the image generation unit 78 to the user using the image display unit 82. The request to display the agent selection screen is made by the user via voice input or the like. The agent selection screen displays the individual notification source agents indicated by the individual notification source information of each individual notification information included in the individual notification group information of the main notification information, and further displays selection icons for selecting the current agent from each individual notification source agent. In this embodiment, the agent selection screen displays a list of selection icons for selecting the current agent, each representing an individual notification source agent indicated by the individual notification source information of each individual notification information included in the individual notification group information of the main notification information, and an individual notification content indicated by the individual content information. An example of the agent selection screen will be described in detail later.

[0078] Selection operation corresponding step S114 On the user terminal 70, the current agent selection unit 76 sets current agent identification information to identify the current agent in response to the user's operation to select the current agent. The user's operation to select the current agent is performed by voice input, or, if the agent selection screen is displayed, by touching or clicking the selection icons on the agent selection screen. The image generation unit 78 generates a current agent image that represents the current agent in place of the main agent, and the image display unit 82 displays the current agent image generated by the image generation unit 78 to the user.

[0079] Individual notification voice instruction step S116 On the user terminal 70, the main notification unit 92 extracts individual notification information from the group of individual notification information included in the main notification information, including the agent identification information of the individual notification source agent corresponding to the current agent identification information set by the current agent selection unit 76. The extracted individual notification information is then converted into voice by sending an individual notification voice conversion instruction to the conversation provision server 10, along with the individual notification content information, the current agent identification information, and the user identification information.

[0080] Individual notification voice conversion step S118 In the conversation provision server 10, the voice generation unit 22, in response to the individual notification voice conversion instruction received from the user terminal 70 along with the individual notification content information, current agent identification information, and user identification information, extracts voice information of agent feature information associated with the current agent identification information from the agent DB 16, generates individual notification content voice conversion information in which the individual notification content indicated by the individual notification content information is spoken using the voice of the current agent, and transmits it to the user terminal 70 identified by the user identification information.

[0081] Individual notification step S122 In the user terminal 70, the conversation execution unit 88 acquires the individual notification content speech information received from the conversation provision server 10 and outputs it to the voice output unit 86. The voice output unit 86 then outputs the individual notification content to the user as voice based on the individual notification content speech information input from the conversation execution unit 88.

[0082] Subsequent conversations between the user and the current agent are conducted in the same manner as the current agent's responses to user utterances as described above. However, the response generation prompts generated by the conversation generation instruction unit 24 of the conversation provision server 10 are based not only on conversation history information, character feature information, and field identification information, but also on individual notification-related information indicating information related to the individual notification that initiated the conversation.

[0083] As described above, in response to the user's selection of the current agent based on the main notification sent by the main agent, the current agent with whom the user is currently conversing can be changed from the main agent to one of the individual agents that issued the individual notifications included in the main notification. This allows for a smooth change of conversation partner for the user. In this way, the main agent acts as a personal assistant for the user, introducing them to the individual notification-generating agents, improving usability and enabling the building of a better relationship between the user and the main agent.

[0084] Referring to Figure 4, the method for setting individual priorities for individual notifications in this embodiment will be explained. As shown in Figure 4, for example, individual priorities for individual notifications can be set as follows. (1) Individual priority setting based on the level of familiarity between individual notification recipient users and individual notification source agents. If a user receiving individual notifications has a high level of familiarity with the agent that sent the individual notifications, it is assumed that the user will also have a high level of interest in the individual notifications, and therefore the individual priority should be set high.

[0085] (2) Individual priority setting based on importance for individual notification recipient users by individual notification source agents If the individual notification source agent is considered highly important to the individual notification recipient user, it is assumed that the recipient user will also be highly interested in the individual notification, and therefore the individual priority will be set high. For example, if the AI ​​agent's area of ​​expertise is in the public field such as taxation, and the client operating the AI ​​agent is a public institution such as a tax office, the individual notification source agent will be considered highly important to the individual notification recipient user, and the individual priority will be set high.

[0086] (3) Setting individual priorities for individual notification content based on the urgency of the individual notification recipients. If the content of an individual notification is of high urgency to the recipient user, it is assumed that the recipient user will also be of high interest in the notification, and therefore the individual priority will be set high. For example, if the individual notification concerns a user's schedule and the start time of the schedule is approaching, the content of the individual notification will be of high urgency to the recipient user, and the individual priority will be set high. Similarly, if the individual notification concerns securities trading and requires immediate attention, the content of the individual notification will be of high urgency to the recipient user, and the individual priority will be set high.

[0087] (4) Setting individual priority based on the importance of the individual notification content for the individual notification recipient user. If the content of an individual notification is of high importance to the recipient user, it is assumed that the recipient user will also be of high interest in the notification, and therefore the individual priority will be set high. For example, if the individual notification concerns the payment of utility bills and requires action within a certain period, the content of the individual notification will be of high importance to the recipient user, and the individual priority will be set high.

[0088] (5) Setting individual priorities based on the level of interest of the individual notification recipients in the content of individual notifications. If a user who is a recipient of an individual notification shows a high level of interest in the content of that notification, it is assumed that the user is also highly interested in that notification, and therefore the individual priority will be set high. For example, if the content of the individual notification concerns a topic that the recipient has recently been very interested in, the user will be highly interested in the content of the notification, and the individual priority will be set high.

[0089] Refer to Figure 5 to explain the notification method based on the primary priority of key notifications. As shown in Figure 5, for example, major notifications are sent based on their primary priority, as follows: (1) For major notices of particularly high priority, notices shall be issued at sufficiently short time intervals or frequencies, for example, at 00 and 30 minutes past the hour, for a total of 48 notices per day. (2) For major notices of relatively high priority, notices will be sent at relatively short time intervals or frequencies, for example, three times a day at fixed times in the morning, noon, and evening. (3) For major notices of relatively low priority, notices will be sent at relatively long time intervals or frequencies, for example, once a day at the fixed time in the evening as described in (2) above. (4) For major notices of lower priority, notices will be sent at long intervals or infrequently, for example, once a week at a fixed time in the morning or evening as described in (3) above on Saturday or Sunday. The time, day of the week, time interval, frequency, etc. of notifications in (1) through (4) above may be set by the user as they see fit.

[0090] Refer to Figure 6 to explain the contents of the individual notices and the main notices. As shown in Figure 6, for example, the content of individual notices and their summaries, as well as the main content of major notices, are as follows.

[0091] (1) Content of individual notices and their summaries (1-1) Tax Office Agent E Regarding Tax Office Agent E, whose area of ​​expertise is tax-related and whose client is a tax office: • Individual notification content: "The deadline for filing this year's tax return is March 17th. Since you have not yet completed your filing, please file as soon as possible." Summary of individual notification contents: "Notice regarding tax return filing" • For this individual notification, the individual notification agent will assign a high level of importance to the individual notification recipient user, and an individual priority will be set according to that importance.

[0092] (1-2) Schedule Agent F Regarding Schedule Agent F, an AI agent whose area of ​​expertise is user schedule management. Individual notification content: "A meeting is scheduled for 3:00 PM today. It is currently 2:30 PM, so please prepare for the meeting." Summary of individual notification content: "Meeting Announcement" • For these individual notifications, the urgency of the notification content for the recipient user is high, and individual priorities are set according to that urgency.

[0093] (1-3) Securities Agent G Regarding Securities Agent G, whose AI agent's area of ​​expertise is securities-related and whose clients are securities companies: • Individual notification: "The share price of your owned stocks has risen significantly since the time of purchase. If you wish to sell your stocks early, please contact us as soon as possible." • Summary of individual notification content: "Stock Price Information" • For these individual notifications, the urgency of the notification content for the recipient user is high, and individual priorities are set according to that urgency.

[0094] (1-4) Waterworks Agent H Regarding Waterworks Bureau Agent H, whose area of ​​expertise is related to water supply and whose client is a waterworks bureau: Individual notification content: "This month's water bill is X yen. The payment deadline is the 25th, so please make your payment." Summary of individual notice content: "Water bill payment notice" • For these individual notifications, the importance of the notification content to the recipient user is high, and individual priorities are set according to that importance.

[0095] (1-5) Sports Agent I Regarding Sports Agent I, whose area of ​​expertise is sports-related normal conversation: • Individual notification content: "In the US Y Series, player Z hit a walk-off home run, and team V came from behind to win 2-3." • Summary of individual notification: "Baseball game results" Regarding these individual notifications, if the recipient user shows a high level of interest in the content of the notification, an individual priority will be set according to that level of interest.

[0096] (2) Main content of the main notice For example, regarding the main notices, including the individual notices (1-1) through (1-5) above • Main notification contents: "E contains a notice about filing tax returns, F contains a meeting notice, G contains stock price information, H contains a notice about water bill payment, and I contains a notice about baseball game results."

[0097] Referring to Figure 7, the agent selection screen of one embodiment of the present invention will be described. As shown in Figure 7, for example, on the agent selection screen, the current agent is selected by listing and displaying an array of option icons that combine a symbol indicating the source agent of each individual notification included in the group of individual notifications of the main notifications with the content of the individual notification.

[0098] In the embodiment described above, for each individual notification sent to the user from each AI agent, a primary agent is designated as the notifying entity and a primary notification is sent to the user based on a priority assigned according to the user's interest information, a summary of the content of each individual notification, and the individual notification source and the summary of the individual notification content. As a result, the user is prevented from receiving individual notifications from multiple AI agents, the frequent sending of primary notifications for individual notifications of low user interest is prevented, and the content of primary notifications sent to the user is prevented from becoming cumbersome, thus improving usability. In particular, for each individual notification sent to the user from each AI agent, primary notifications are sent based on a priority assigned according to the user's familiarity with each AI agent, the importance of the AI ​​agent to the user, the urgency and importance of the individual notification to the user, and the user's level of interest in each individual notification. Therefore, frequent primary notifications are prevented for individual notifications from AI agents with low user familiarity or low importance to the user, and for individual notifications with low urgency, importance, or user interest.

[0099] In the embodiment described above, speech audio information representing the user's utterance is converted into speech audio text data, a response generation prompt including the speech audio text data is generated and input to a conversation generation AI, the response text data is output from the conversation generation AI, and the response text data is converted into response audio information representing the AI ​​agent's response based on the AI ​​agent's voice information. Alternatively, a response generation prompt including speech audio information representing the user's utterance and the AI ​​agent's voice information may be generated and input to a conversation generation AI, and response audio information representing the AI ​​agent's response may be output from the conversation generation AI. In this case, the speech audio information and response audio information may be stored as conversation history information.

[0100] The key disclosures of this application can be summarized as follows: The first disclosure is a conversation provision system comprising: a conversation unit that instructs a task processing device, which processes tasks using artificial intelligence in response to task processing instructions, to generate conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents to a user, and acquires the conversation content generated by the task processing device and outputs it to the user; and a notification unit that, for each individual notification to the user from each of the plurality of virtual agents, makes a main notification to the user, with the main agent among the plurality of virtual agents as the notifying entity, based on the individual notifying source and individual notification content of each individual notification.

[0101] In this disclosure, for each individual notification sent to a user by each virtual agent, a main notification is sent to the user by the main agent, based on the individual notification source and content of each individual notification. This avoids the user receiving individual notifications from multiple virtual agents, thereby improving usability.

[0102] The second disclosure is that the notification unit is a conversation provision system as described in the first disclosure, which provides primary notifications for each individual notification originating from each virtual agent, based on priority assigned according to interest information related to the user's interests.

[0103] This disclosure explains that for each individual notification originating from a virtual agent, primary notifications are prioritized based on user interest information. This avoids frequent primary notifications for individual notifications of low user interest, further improving usability.

[0104] The third disclosure is the conversational delivery system of the second disclosure, in which the interest information includes the user's level of familiarity with each of the virtual agents.

[0105] This disclosure states that for each individual notification originating from a virtual agent, primary notifications are sent based on a priority system that corresponds to the user's level of familiarity with each virtual agent. This prevents frequent primary notifications from being sent from virtual agents with low familiarity with the user.

[0106] The fourth disclosure is the conversational delivery system of the second disclosure, in which the interest information includes the importance of each virtual agent to the user.

[0107] In this disclosure, each individual notification originating from a virtual agent is prioritized according to the importance of each virtual agent to the user, thereby avoiding frequent major notifications from individual notifications from virtual agents of low importance to the user.

[0108] The fifth disclosure item is the conversational delivery system of the second disclosure item, which includes the urgency to the user of each individual notification originating from each virtual agent, as the interest information.

[0109] This disclosure outlines that for each individual notification originating from a virtual agent, primary notifications are issued based on a priority system that assigns a level of urgency to the user for each individual notification. This avoids frequent primary notifications for individual notifications that are not urgent to the user.

[0110] The sixth disclosure item is the conversation provision system of the second disclosure item, which includes the importance to the user of each individual notification originating from each virtual agent, as the interest information.

[0111] This disclosure outlines that for each individual notification originating from a virtual agent, primary notifications are issued based on a priority system that assigns importance to each individual notification according to its significance to the user. This avoids frequent primary notifications for individual notifications of low importance to the user.

[0112] The seventh disclosure item is the conversation provision system of the second disclosure item, in which the interest information includes the user's level of interest in each individual notification from each of the virtual agents.

[0113] In this disclosure, for each individual notification originating from each virtual agent, primary notifications are sent based on a priority assigned according to the user's level of interest in each individual notification. This avoids frequent primary notifications for individual notifications of low user interest.

[0114] The eighth disclosure item is that the notification unit is a conversation provision system as described in the first disclosure item, which provides a main notification summarizing the content of each individual notification sent to each of the virtual agents as the individual notification source.

[0115] In this disclosure, for each individual notification sent to a user from each virtual agent, a main notification is provided that summarizes the content of each individual notification. This avoids making the main notification to the user cumbersome, further improving usability.

[0116] The ninth disclosure concerns a conversation provisioning device comprising: a conversation output unit that instructs a task processing device, which processes tasks using artificial intelligence in response to task processing instructions, to generate conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents to a user, and acquires and outputs the conversation content generated by the task processing device; and a notification output unit that outputs a main notification with the main agent among the plurality of virtual agents as the notification subject, based on the notification source and notification content of each individual notification to the user with each of the plurality of virtual agents as the individual notification source. This disclosure has the same effect as the first disclosure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0117] 10...Conversation server 12...Agent designation unit 14...User database 16…Agent DB 18…Voice Analysis Unit 22…Voice Generation Unit 24…Conversation Generation Instructions 26...Conversation analysis instruction unit 28...Intimacy setting unit 32...User preference setting unit 34...Individual notification generation unit 36...Individual notification acquisition unit 38...Priority setting unit 42...Main notification provider unit 44...Main notification generation unit 50...Generation server 52...Conversation generation unit 54...Conversation Analysis Unit 60...Client Terminal 62...Individual Notification Provision Unit 70...User Terminal 72...App launch section 74...Main agent selection section 76...Current agent selection section 78...Image generation unit 82...Image display unit 84...Audio acquisition unit 86...Audio output unit 88...Conversation execution unit 92...Main notification unit

Claims

1. A task processing device that processes tasks using artificial intelligence in response to task processing instructions, a conversation unit that instructs the task processing device to generate conversation content for at least one of multiple virtual agents interacting with a user, and acquires the conversation content generated by the task processing device and outputs it to the user, A notification unit that, for each individual notification sent to a user from each of the multiple virtual agents, aggregates the multiple individual notifications from each of the multiple virtual agents according to the priority assigned to the user's interests based on the individual notification source and content of each individual notification, and sends a main notification to the user with the main agent among the multiple virtual agents as the notification entity. A conversation-providing system equipped with the following features.

2. The notification unit makes key notifications at time intervals or frequencies corresponding to the priority. The conversation provision system according to claim 1.

3. A task processing device that processes a task using artificial intelligence in response to a task processing instruction, comprising a conversation unit that instructs the generation of conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents to a user, and acquires the conversation content generated by the task processing device and outputs it to the user, A notification unit that, with respect to each individual notification sent to a user from each of the multiple virtual agents, sends a main notification to the user, with the main agent among the multiple virtual agents acting as the notification entity, based on the individual notification source and content of each individual notification. It is equipped with, The notification unit makes key notifications for each individual notification originating from each virtual agent, based on the priority assigned according to the user's interest information. The aforementioned interest information includes the user's level of familiarity with each of the aforementioned virtual agents. A conversation provision system.

4. A task processing device that processes a task using artificial intelligence in response to a task processing instruction, comprising a conversation unit that instructs the generation of conversation content for at least one of a plurality of virtual agents to a user, and acquires the conversation content generated by the task processing device and outputs it to the user, A notification unit that, with respect to each individual notification sent to a user from each of the multiple virtual agents, sends a main notification to the user, with the main agent among the multiple virtual agents acting as the notification entity, based on the individual notification source and content of each individual notification. It is equipped with, The notification unit makes key notifications for each individual notification originating from each virtual agent, based on the priority assigned according to the user's interest information. The aforementioned interest information includes the importance of each virtual agent to the user, A conversation provision system.

5. The aforementioned interest information includes the urgency level for the user of each individual notification, with each virtual agent acting as the individual notification source. The conversation provision system according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned interest information includes the importance to the user of each individual notification originating from each virtual agent. The conversation provision system according to claim 1.

7. The aforementioned interest information includes the user's level of interest in each individual notification originating from each of the aforementioned virtual agents. The conversation provision system according to claim 1.

8. The notification unit provides a main notification summarizing the content of each individual notification sent to each virtual agent. The conversation provision system according to claim 1.

9. A task processing device that processes tasks using artificial intelligence in response to task processing instructions, a conversation output unit that instructs the task processing device to generate conversation content for at least one of multiple virtual agents to a user, and acquires and outputs the conversation content generated by the task processing device, A notification output unit outputs a main notification in which the main agent among the multiple virtual agents is the notification subject, which is a summary of the multiple individual notifications in which each individual notification originates from each of the multiple virtual agents, based on the notification source and content of each individual notification, and according to the priority assigned according to the user's interest information, for each individual notification originating from each of the multiple virtual agents. A conversation-providing device equipped with the following features.

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