Practical Issues in Mixed-Initiative Natural Language Dialog: An Experimental Perspective

Computational Models for Mixed Initiative Interaction

Volume

Papers from the 1997 AAAI Spring Symposium

Contents

There are several theoretical and technical challenges to be resolved in developing effective computational models for mixed-initiative interaction. This paper describes some of the unresolved challenges encountered in the development of a computational model of dialog processing. This model was implemented in the Circuit Fix-It Shop, a spoken natural language dialog system that was experimentally evaluated with eight different users in 141 problem-solving dialogs. From our experiences in developing a system capable of experimental evaluation we have noted at least three difficulties in modeling mixed-initiative interaction: (1) maintaining coherence during an initiative change; (2) choosing an appropriate linguistic form for a response as a function of initiative; and (3) processing silence as a legitimate input and output. Our experiences in dealing with these issues are the focus of discussion in this paper.