VPA: Virtual Personal Assistant

Abstract

P O B o x 1 1 7 2 2 1 0 0 L u n d + 4 6 4 6 -2 2 2 0 0 0 0 Abstract This report discusses ways in which new technology could be harnessed to create an intelligent Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA) with a focus on user-based data. It will look at examples of intelligent programs with natural language processing that are currently available, with different categories of support, and examine the potential usefulness of one specific piece of software as a VPA. This engages the ability to communicate socially through natural language processing, holding and analysing data within the context of the user. It is suggested that new technologies may soon make the idea of virtual personal assistants a reality. Experiments conducted on this system, combined with user testing, have provided evidence that a basic program with natural language processing algorithms in the form of a VPA, with basic natural language processing and the ability to function without the need for other type of human input (or programming) may already be viable.