Atmosphere Sharing with TV Chat Agents for Increase of User’s Motivation for Conversation

Abstract

This paper proposes atmosphere sharing method with chatting agent during TV watching in order to improve user’s motivation for conversation with the agent. Dialogue agents like interactive robots which include physical and virtual robots are expected to be companion to talk with the elderly or social isolated people to monitor or support them. Although the technologies of interactive robots, which are speech recognition and synthesis or auto chatting engine etc., have been developed, the agents are not continuously utilized for daily-life yet. We have developed TV chat agent which have light conversation with user during TV watching. To increase user’s motivation of conversation with the agent, the agent gives interesting and funny talk by using SNS comments that are provided by users who are watching the TV program. This study attempts to share atmosphere, such as scene with exciting or of bursting into laughter, by using the TV chat agent.