Project description
Conversational human-aware technology for optimisation
Industry and society are increasingly automating processes, which requires solving constrained optimisation problems. However, modelling the optimisation problem is tedious, and the solutions often neither meet user expectations nor adapt to changing needs and preferences over time. The EU-funded CHAT-Opt project is based on the idea that we must shift away from the concept of the optimal solution and move towards that of the desired solution. To enable this, the project's methods will learn from the environment and integrate learning and predictive models into the optimisation, help the user interact with the solutions, and develop a conversational constraint solver that lets users co-create a solution that they desire.
Objective
Industry and society are increasingly automating processes, which requires solving constrained optimisation problems. This includes vehicle routing problems in transportation, scheduling of tasks in electricity demand-response programs, rostering of personnel and more. However, the solutions found by state-of-the-art constraint programming solvers are often found to not match user expectations. Solutions
are regularly critiqued by domain experts as impractical, frustrating for people involved or creating unfair situations that a human planner would never propose. As a result, the technology is not accepted or workarounds like manual processing is done which reduces its potential.
This project is based on the idea that we must shift away from the concept of the optimal solution, and must move to that of the desired solution. To make the solutions more humane, we must make the solution process more human-aware. The key to this is to integrate techniques from machine learning that can learn about the context of the environment and user.
This can move the problem formulation process from a one-shot model + solve paradigm to a dialogue-based conversation paradigm between the end-user and the solver. The focus here is not on the use of natural language, but rather on making the constrained programming technology ready for such interactions. This project aims to fundamentally advance it on three fronts:
1) to learn from the environment and integrate the learning and the predictive models into the optimisation;
2) to learn the implicit preferences form the user by letting her/him interact with the solutions; and ultimately
3) to develop a conversational constraint solver that can answer unambiguous questions of the users in terms of explanations and alternatives.
The end goal is a system that lets the user co-create a solution that she/he desires, and that system can adapt to changing needs and preferences over time.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.