Why can't a virtual character be more like a human: A mixed-initiative approach to believable agents

Abstract

Believable agents have applications in a wide range of human computer interaction-related domains, such as education, training, arts and entertainment. Autonomous characters that behave in a believable manner have the potential to maintain human users' suspense of disbelief and fully engage them in the experience. However, how to construct believable agents, especially in a generalizable and cost effective way, is still an open problem. This paper compares the two common approaches for constructing believable agents - human-driven and artificial intelligence-driven interactive characters - and proposes a mixed-initiative approach in the domain of interactive training systems. Our goal is to provide the user with engaging and effective educational experiences through their interaction with our system. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.