Project description
Exploring computer-mediated human interaction
As more and more of our interactions take place through digital channels, it has become increasingly important to understand how we communicate and interact with others via computers and digital devices. In this context, the DivCon project, funded by the European Research Council, aims to transform our understanding of human interaction, particularly in computer-mediated communication. It will create a novel experimental platform for live multimodal interactions using avatars and virtual reality and develop a precise theory of divergence and convergence in interaction that unifies verbal and non-verbal dialogue phenomena. Ultimately, the project’s findings will pave the way for more adaptive conversational AI systems that can better simulate human-like communication.
Objective
Human interaction is deceptively simple to engage in, yet surprisingly challenging to account for theoretically. Existing theories of language and cognition cannot fully account for the complex dynamics of verbal and non-verbal behaviours in interaction, which is becoming even more apparent with our increasing use of computer-mediated communication, such as the currently ubiquitous Zoom calls.
With DivCon, my vision is to transform our basic understanding of human interaction by showing how successful dialogue is driven by incremental, local and dynamic processes of mismatch management.In our everyday interactions, we continuously make predictions about what will happen next, based on how our own and others behaviour affects the world, to open up new possible courses of action. In dialogue, these predictions are about sounds, words, inferences and even non-speech actions such as gestures or eye gaze. If our expectations are not met, we have to ascertain if the mismatching input can be resolved, or integrated as a surprising but rewarding outcome (as in the case of humour).
DivCon will produce a suite of corpus and experimental data for exploring the timely issues of communication via different forms of computer-mediated communication, including text-based chats, video calls and virtual reality meetings. To do this, the project will create a novel experimental platform for experiments in real time live multimodal interactions using avatars and virtual reality. The formal arm of the project will develop a precise theory of divergence and convergence in interaction which unifies verbal and non-verbal dialogue phenomena including gesture, gaze, feedback and laughter, using core notions of prediction and underspecification. This model will be implementable in conversational AI an important step in the path to genuinely adaptive conversational AI systems, which are still beyond the reach of researchers despite the promise of recent decades.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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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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HORIZON.1.1 - 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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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-2022-STG
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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.
405 30 Goeteborg
Sweden
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.