Use of a virtual agent to welcome visitors to a tourist office

Animated conversational agents are computer programs that have automatic natural language processing capabilities, enabling them to interact with users by responding appropriately to their questions. These systems also have a visual representation, usually humanoid in shape, which enables them to express human-like behaviors (gestures, facial expressions, etc.).

This type of device is particularly developed and studied in laboratories for its ability to interact with human beings. On the market, virtual agents, whether animated or not, are mainly deployed to extend corporate expertise and customer relations, before, during or after the sales process. They are mainly found in sectors such as banking, insurance and retail. Conversational agents are also appreciated for their interaction capabilities, and are used for support and training in the education and medical sectors. More recently, the human resources, consulting and tourism sectors have also identified the potential of animated conversational agents for their respective functions.

DAVI –, a software publisher specializing in the design of virtual agents –, and the LISN-CNRS laboratory have developed an animated conversational agent whose role is to help visitors prepare for their holiday by answering their questions and directing them to the various information resources available.

The INTIMACY project presented in this article addresses a major technological issue in the field of interaction between humans and virtual agents: the emotional and social dimension of interaction.