No. 110/2019

Thanks to modern dialogue systems like Alexa and Siri, computers have become our everyday helpers: on voice command they deliver information, operate stereo equipment, switch the lights on and even tell jokes. But they do it without a trace of emotion – a normal conver- sation is impossible. Milica Gašić from Serbia wants to change that. “Siri, who is Helene Fischer for heaven’s sake?”The response from the digital assistant in our smartphone is quite prosaic: a German pop singer. She ignores the underlying irritation in our voice. Irony, sadness and enthusiasm are also lost on her. Nor is she a dab hand at deep conversation. Because that requires empathy – the conversation partner must be able to sense emotions and respond to them. “A system could rec- ognise emotions by the sound of the voice or choice of words,” says Milica Gašić. To deduce emotions from the choice of words – this is what Gašić wants to teach the systems: apart from encyclopaedic knowledge, the AI researcher feeds in recordings of conversations between real peo- ple. A statistical model evaluates the connections between choice of words and the interlocutor’s response. This enables the system to develop answers that are emotionally appropriate. “Conversations should become more human; the systems shouldn’t only provide infor- mation but also impart a positive feeling,” says Gašić. Text JAN BERNDORFF The Sofja Kovalevskaja Award Winner PROFESSOR MILICA GAŠIĆ spent three months working at Saarland University and now holds the Chair in Dialog Systems and Machine Learning at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. HOW CAN YOU SENSITISE SIRI, MS GAŠIĆ? Photo: Humboldt Foundation/Mats Karlsson BRIEF ENQUIRIES 10 HUMBOLDT KOSMOS 110/2019