Intelligent Virtual Agents and Culture

Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVAs) are interactive digital characters that exhibit human-like qualities and can communicate with humans and each other using natural human modalities such as facial expressions, speech and gesture. They are capable of real-time perception, cognition, emotion and action that allow them to participate in dynamic social environments.
Culture as a social phenomenon is researched with IVAs for about two decades. In our earlier research, we have focussed on modelling cultural background for IVAs based on national cultures or cultural dimensions. With IVAs that behave in a culture-specific manner (e.g. differences in verbal behaviour, communication management, gesture use, or body posture) differences between prototypical cultural behavioural features can be pointed out, cultural awareness can be raised, or specific user preferences can be met to increase the acceptance of IVAs.
In our recent research, we investigate IVAs in mixed-cultural settings, particularly when native speakers and non-native speakers meet. A crucial question is how an IVA can be recognized as foreign/outgroup. For example, non-native speech needs to be adequately generated to investigate behavioural phenomena occurring in such mixed-cultural settings.
Related publications
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The impact of mixed-cultural speech on the stereotypical perception of a virtual robot in Frontiers in Robotics and AI (2022). 9
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Exploratory Study on the Perception of Intelligent Virtual Agents With Non-Native Accents Using Synthetic and Natural Speech in German in INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MULTIMODAL INTERACTION (2022).
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Non-native speaker perception of Intelligent Virtual Agents in two languages: the impact of amount and type of grammatical mistakes in Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces (2021).
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What if it speaks like it was from the village? Effects of a Robot speaking in Regional Language Variations on Users’ Evaluations in 29th IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2020) (2020). 1315–1320.
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Non-Native Speaker Generation and Perception for Mixed-Cultural Settings in ACM International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents 2019 (2019).
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A Pilot Study on Adaptive Gesture Use in Interaction with Non-native Listeners in 4th International Workshop on Multimodal Analyses Enabling Artificial Agents in Human-Machine Interaction (2018). 26–32.
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Adapted Foreigner-directed Communication towards Virtual Agents in 18th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA 2018) (2018). 59–64.
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Combining a Data-driven and a Theory-based Approach to Generate Culture-dependent Behaviours for Virtual Characters in Advances in Culturally-Aware Intelligent Systems and in Cross-Cultural Psychological Studies, C. Faucher (ed.) (2017).
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Learning to Overcome Cultural Conflict through Engaging with Intelligent Agents in Synthetic Cultures in International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (2015). 25(2) 291–317.
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Modeling and Evaluating a Bayesian Network of Culture-dependent Behaviors in International Conference on Culture and Computing (2015).
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Werewolves, Cheats, and Cultural Sensitivity in International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2014), A. L. C. Bazzan, M. N. Huhns, A. Lomuscio, P. Scerri (eds.) (2014). 1085–1092.
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{MIXER: why the difference?} in International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2014), A. L. C. Bazzan, M. N. Huhns, A. Lomuscio, P. Scerri (eds.) (2014). 1687–1688.
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Effects of Language Variety on Personality Perception in Embodied Conversational Agents in 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. Advanced Interaction Modalities and Techniques, LNCS, M. Kurosu (ed.) (2014). (Vol. 8511) 429–439.
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{W}hat {I} {S}ee is {N}ot {W}hat {Y}ou {G}et: {W}hy {C}ulture-{S}pecific {B}ehaviours for {V}irtual {C}haracters {S}hould {B}e {U}ser-{T}ested {A}cross {C}ultures in {AI} and {S}ociety (2014).
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A hybrid Approach to model a Bayesian Network of Culture-specific Behavior in International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2014), A. L. C. Bazzan, M. N. Huhns, A. Lomuscio, P. Scerri (eds.) (2014). 1395–1396.
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Engaging with Virtual Characters using a Pictorial Interaction Language in Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA 2014), M. Jones, P. A. Palanque, A. Schmidt, T. Grossman (eds.) (2014). 531–534.
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{Integration of Cultural Factors into the Behavioural Models of Virtual Characters} in Natural Language Generation in Interactive Systems, A. Stent, S. Bangalore (eds.) (2014). 227–251.
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A Pictorial Interaction Language for Children to Communicate with Cultural Virtual Characters in 16th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. Advanced Interaction Modalities and Techniques, LNCS, M. Kurosu (ed.) (2014). (Vol. 8511) 532–543.
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Cultural Diversity for Virtual Characters (Extended Abstract) in International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2013), F. Rossi (ed.) (2013).
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Investigating Culture-related Aspects of Behavior for Virtual Characters in Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (2013). 27(2) 277–304.
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Investigating the Influence of Culture on Proxemic Behaviors for Humanoid Robots in International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2013) (2013). 430–435.
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Cultural Diversity for Virtual Characters - Investigating Behavioral Aspects across Cultures. PhD thesis, Universität Augsburg. (2012). I–IV, 1.
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ECUTE: Difference is good! in International Conference on E-Learning, (IADIS) (2012). 425–429.
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{Cultural Behaviors of Virtual Agents in an Augmented Reality Environment} in 12th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA 2012), LNCS, Y. I. Nakano, M. Neff, A. Paiva, M. A. Walker (eds.) (2012). (Vol. 7502) 412–418.
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Natural Interaction with Culturally Adaptive Virtual Characters in Multimodal User Interfaces (2012). 6(1-2) 39–47.
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Integration and Evaluation of Prototypical Culture-related Differences in Workshop on Culturally Motivated Virtual Characters (CMVC 2011), in conjunction with IVA 2011 (2011).
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Planning Small Talk Behavior with Cultural Influences for Multiagent Systems in Computer Speech \& Language (2011). 25(2) 158–174.
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Culture-Related Topic Selection in Small Talk Conversations across Germany and Japan in 11th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA 2011), LNCS, H. H. Vilhjálmsson, S. Kopp, S. Marsella, K. R. Thórisson (eds.) (2011). (Vol. 6895) 1–13.
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{Culture-related Differences in Aspects of Behavior for Virtual Characters across Germany and Japan} in 10th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2011), L. Sonenberg, P. Stone, K. Tumer, P. Yolum (eds.) (2011). 441–448.
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Generating Culture-Specific Gestures for Virtual Agent Dialogs in 10th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents (IVA 2010), LNCS, J. M. Allbeck, N. I. Badler, T. W. Bickmore, C. Pelachaud, A. Safonova (eds.) (2010). (Vol. 6356) 329–335.
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A data-driven approach to model culture-specific communication management styles for virtual agents in 9th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2010), W. van der Hoek, G. A. Kaminka, Y. Lespérance, M. Luck, S. Sen (eds.) (2010). (Vol. 1) 99–108.
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Towards Culturally-Aware Virtual Agent Systems in Handbook of Research on Culturally-Aware Information Technology: Perspectives and Models: Perspectives and Models, E. G. Blanchard, D. Allard (eds.) (2010). 412–430.
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From observation to simulation: generating culture-specific behavior for interactive systems in {AI \& Society} (2009). 24(3) 267–280.
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{Creating Standardized Video Recordings of Multimodal Interactions across Cultures} in Multimodal Corpora, M. Kipp, J.-C. Martin, P. Paggio, D. Heylen (eds.) (2009). (Vol. 5509) 138–159.
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{Culture-specific Communication Management for Virtual Agents} in 8th International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS 2009), AAMAS \u002709, C. Sierra, C. Castelfranchi, K. S. Decker, J. S. Sichman (eds.) (2009). (Vol. 1) 281–287.
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Talk is silver, silence is golden: A cross-cultural study on the use of pauses in speech in 4th International Workshop on Human-Computer Conversation (2008).
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{The CUBE-G approach - Coaching culture-specific nonverbal behavior by virtual agents} in Organizing and Learning through Gaming and Simulation (ISAGA 2007), I. Mayer, H. Mastik (eds.) (2007).