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Speech foundation models have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in speech-related tasks. Nevertheless, these models often struggle with non-verbal audio data, such as vocalizations, baby crying, etc., which are critical for various…
In video game design, audio (both environmental background music and object sound effects) play a critical role. Sounds are typically pre-created assets designed for specific locations or objects in a game. However, user-generated content…
Computational thinking, and by extension, computer programming, is notoriously challenging to learn. Conversational agents and generative artificial intelligence (genAI) have the potential to facilitate this learning process by offering…
The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive test of three spatial speller settings, for the auditory, visual, and audiovisual paradigms. For rigour, the study is conducted with 16 BCI-na\"ive subjects in an experimental set-up based…
We present a new framework called KorraAI for conceiving and building embodied conversational agents (ECAs). Our framework models ECAs' behavior considering contextual information, for example, about environment and interaction time, and…
To foster effective human-agent interactions, designers must understand how vocal cues influence the perception of agent personality and the role of user-agent alignment in shaping these perceptions. In this work, we examine whether users…
Story visualization has gained increasing attention in artificial intelligence. However, existing methods still struggle with maintaining a balance between character identity preservation and text-semantics alignment, largely due to a lack…
Children with Autism commonly face difficulties in vocabulary acquisition, which can have an impact on their social communication. Using digital tools for vocabulary learning can prove beneficial for these children, as they can provide a…
This survey explores the burgeoning field of role-playing with language models, focusing on their development from early persona-based models to advanced character-driven simulations facilitated by Large Language Models (LLMs). Initially…
In an era of AI's growing capabilities and influences, recent advancements are reshaping HCI and CSCW's view of AI. Playful interactions emerged as an important way for users to make sense of the ever-changing AI technologies, yet remained…
We investigate the ethical and privacy implications of voice-first ambient interfaces (VFAIs) for aging in place through an in-depth engagement with five older adults. Our participants were in the process of becoming experienced VFAI users,…
Speech large language models (SpeechLLMs) have extended human-machine interactions from the text modality to the dynamic speech domain. Spoken dialogues convey diverse information, including semantic concepts, acoustic variations,…
Our voices are as distinctive as our faces and fingerprints. There is a spectrum of non-disjoint traits that make our voices unique and identifiable, such as the fundamental frequency, the intensity, and most interestingly the quality of…
The gender of any voice user interface is a key element of its perceived identity. Recently, there has been increasing interest in interfaces where the gender is ambiguous rather than clearly identifying as female or male. This work…
AI chatbots, built using large language models, are increasingly integrated into society and mimic the patterns of human text exchanges. While previous research has raised concerns that humans may form romantic attachment to chatbots, the…
Clinical communication skills are essential for preparing healthcare professionals to provide equitable care across cultures. However, traditional training with simulated patients can be resource intensive and difficult to scale, especially…
We present a universal neural vocoder based on Parallel WaveNet, with an additional conditioning network called Audio Encoder. Our universal vocoder offers real-time high-quality speech synthesis on a wide range of use cases. We tested it…
This paper outlines the challenges and opportunities of research on conversational agents with children and young people across four countries, exploring the ways AI technologies can support children's well-being across social and cultural…
The rapid advancement of chat-based language models has led to remarkable progress in complex task-solving. However, their success heavily relies on human input to guide the conversation, which can be challenging and time-consuming. This…
Character design in games involves interdisciplinary collaborations, typically between designers who create the narrative content, and illustrators who realize the design vision. However, traditional workflows face challenges in…