Virtual Agent Integration in Multiparty Conversations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional virtual agents are designed for one-on-one interactions and are inefficient when used in group settings, requiring users to switch between group conversations and virtual agent interactions, leading to awkward and inefficient user experiences, especially on mobile devices where only one application can run at a time.
Innovation Solution
A virtual agent can be directly invoked and integrated into multiparty conversations, allowing multiple users to interact with it within the context of the conversation, sharing information and making recommendations without the need for users to act as intermediaries, and enabling seamless communication and task management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional virtual agents are used for one-on-one interactions, then the virtual agent can provide personalized assistance, but users must switch between group conversations and virtual agent interactions, leading to inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the virtual agent interaction interface with the group conversation interface, allowing both functions to operate within a single unified application. This eliminates the need for users to switch between separate applications, thereby maintaining ease of personalized assistance while dramatically improving interaction efficiency by keeping all communications in one place.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual agent is designed to function both as a personal assistant and as a participant in group conversations simultaneously. It can receive commands from individual users while also monitoring and contributing to group discussions, making it a multi-functional tool that serves multiple purposes without requiring separate interaction modes.
2Loss of information
If users act as intermediaries to relay information between group members and the virtual agent, then the virtual agent can receive context, but this adds extra steps and reduces efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the information relay function from human users and directly connects the virtual agent to the group conversation stream. The virtual agent now directly accesses conversation context, participant information, and group dynamics without requiring any user to manually summarize or forward information, thereby maintaining complete information availability while eliminating unnecessary intermediate steps.
3Quantity of substance
If only one application can run at a time on mobile devices, then device resources are conserved, but users cannot access both group conversations and virtual agent simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines group conversation and virtual agent functionality into a single integrated application, allowing both features to operate simultaneously within the same process. This approach conserves device resources by running one application rather than multiple separate ones, while still providing multi-task capability through the unified interface that handles both conversation types concurrently.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and apparatus for use with at least one first virtual agent executing on a first device. In some embodiments, the at least one first virtual agent is programmed to: share information with at least one second virtual agent executing on at least one second device different from the first device, wherein the at least one first virtual agent is associated with a first user and the at least one second virtual agent is associate with a second user; and use the information shared between the at least one first virtual agent and the at least one second virtual agent to make a joint recommendation for the first and second users.