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In real life, room effect, also known as room reverberation, and the present background noise degrade the quality of speech. Recently, deep learning-based speech enhancement approaches have shown a lot of promise and surpassed traditional…

This research is about the creation of personalized synthetic voices for head and neck cancer survivors. It is focused particularly on tongue cancer patients whose speech might exhibit severe articulation impairment. Our goal is to restore…

Large language models produce human-like text that drive a growing number of applications. However, recent literature and, increasingly, real world observations, have demonstrated that these models can generate language that is toxic,…

This study investigates innovative interaction designs for communication and collaborative learning between learners of mixed hearing and signing abilities, leveraging advancements in mixed reality technologies like Apple Vision Pro and…

Most safety evaluations of large language models (LLMs) remain anchored in English. Translation is often used as a shortcut to probe multilingual behavior, but it rarely captures the full picture, especially when harmful intent or structure…

This paper aims to help structure the risk landscape associated with large-scale Language Models (LMs). In order to foster advances in responsible innovation, an in-depth understanding of the potential risks posed by these models is needed.…

Language models (LMs) are increasingly used in collaboration: multiple LMs trained by different parties collaborate through routing systems, multi-agent debate, model merging, and more. Critical safety risks remain in this decentralized…

There has been vast literature that studies Conversational Agents (CAs) in facilitating older adults' health. The vast and diverse studies warrants a comprehensive review that concludes the main findings and proposes research directions for…

While the English virtual assistants have achieved exciting performance with an enormous amount of training resources, the needs of non-English-speakers have not been satisfied well. Up to Dec 2021, Alexa, one of the most popular smart…

In many situations, communication between agents is a critical component of cooperative multi-agent systems, however, it can be difficult to learn or evolve. In this paper, we investigate a simple way in which the emergence of communication…

Multi-agent reinforcement learning has been used as an effective means to study emergent communication between agents, yet little focus has been given to continuous acoustic communication. This would be more akin to human language…

Intelligent conversational assistants, such as Apple's Siri, Microsoft's Cortana, and Amazon's Echo, have quickly become a part of our digital life. However, these assistants have major limitations, which prevents users from conversing with…

A rapidly increasing amount of human conversation occurs online. But divisiveness and conflict can fester in text-based interactions on social media platforms, in messaging apps, and on other digital forums. Such toxicity increases…

The proliferation of Large Language Model (LLM)-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) agents in web browsing scenarios present complex unintended consequences (UCs). This paper characterizes three UCs from three perspectives: phenomena,…

Neurodivergent people frequently experience decreased sound tolerance, with estimates suggesting it affects 50-70% of this population. This heightened sensitivity can provoke reactions ranging from mild discomfort to severe distress,…

Voice User Interfaces (VUIs) increasingly leverage 'humanness' as a foundational design metaphor, adopting roles like 'assistants,' 'teachers,' and 'secretaries' to foster natural interactions. Yet, this approach can sometimes misalign user…

Language is far more than a communication tool. A wealth of information - including but not limited to the identities, psychological states, and social contexts of its users - can be gleaned through linguistic markers, and such insights are…

Researchers and developers increasingly rely on toxicity scoring to moderate generative language model outputs, in settings such as customer service, information retrieval, and content generation. However, toxicity scoring may render…

People with dementia (PwD) often present verbal agitation such as cursing, screaming, and persistently complaining. Verbal agitation can impose mental distress on informal caregivers (e.g., family, friends), which may cause severe mental…

Voice disorders affect an estimated 14 million working-aged Americans, and many more worldwide. We present the first large scale study of vocal misuse based on long-term ambulatory data collected by an accelerometer placed on the neck. We…