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Recent advances in Large Language Models (LLMs) have significantly improved natural language understanding and generation, enhancing Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). However, LLMs are limited to unimodal text processing and lack the…
Effective human-agent interaction (HAI) relies on accurate and adaptive perception of human emotional states. While multimodal deep learning models - leveraging facial expressions, speech, and textual cues - offer high accuracy in emotion…
Agentic memory is emerging as a key enabler for large language models (LLM) to maintain continuity, personalization, and long-term context in extended user interactions, critical capabilities for deploying LLMs as truly interactive and…
After the pandemic, artificial intelligence (AI) powered support for mental health care has become increasingly important. The breadth and complexity of significant challenges required to provide adequate care involve: (a) Personalized…
With the advent of generative AI and large language models, embodied conversational agents are becoming synonymous with online interactions. These agents possess vast amounts of knowledge but suffer from exhibiting limited emotional…
Development in digital technologies has continuously reshaped how individuals seek and receive social and emotional support. While online platforms and communities have long served this need, the increased integration of general-purpose…
This paper presents our recent research on integrating artificial emotional intelligence in a social robot (Ryan) and studies the robot's effectiveness in engaging older adults. Ryan is a socially assistive robot designed to provide…
Young people's mental well-being is a global concern, with peer support playing a key role in daily emotional regulation. Conversational agents are increasingly viewed as promising tools for delivering accessible, personalised peer support,…
Egocentric, multi-modal data as available on future augmented reality (AR) devices provides unique challenges and opportunities for machine perception. These future devices will need to be all-day wearable in a socially acceptable…
The emergence of virtual companions is transforming the evolution of intelligent systems that effortlessly cater to the unique requirements of users. These advanced systems not only take into account the user present capabilities,…
Most personal wellbeing apps present summative dashboards of health and physical activity metrics, yet many users struggle to translate this information into meaningful understanding. These apps commonly support engagement through goals,…
Modeling face-to-face communication in computer vision, which focuses on recognizing and analyzing nonverbal cues and behaviors during interactions, serves as the foundation for our proposed alternative to text-based Human-AI interaction.…
This article presents a multimodal emotion recognition module integrated into a proactive Socially Interactive Agent (SIA) powered by generative artificial intelligence. The system evaluates real-time affective states through two distinct…
Augmented Reality (AR) systems are increasingly integrating foundation models, such as Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs), to provide more context-aware and adaptive user experiences. This integration has led to the development of AR…
Chatbots are now able to engage in sophisticated conversations with consumers in the domain of relationships, providing a potential coping solution to widescale societal loneliness. Behavioral research provides little insight into whether…
Artificial intelligence (AI) companions are increasingly promoted as solutions for loneliness, often overlooking how personal dispositions and life-stage conditions shape artificial intimacy. Because intimacy is a primary coping mechanism…
What does it mean to fall in love with something we know is virtual? The proliferation of conversational AI enables users to create customizable companions, fostering new intimate relationships that, while virtual, are perceived as…
Older adults have increasingly turned to conversational AI as a source of emotional support. However, little is known about how emotionally supportive interactions are experienced in everyday use, particularly when AI systems limit,…
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), together with persistent gaps in access to reliable emotional support, have positioned AI as an increasingly prominent source of emotional assistance. However, most AI-based emotional support…
We present a new approach for improving the friendliness and warmth of a virtual agent in an AR environment by generating appropriate movement characteristics. Our algorithm is based on a novel data-driven friendliness model that is…