Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Empowering AAC Users: A Systematic Integration of Personal Narratives with Conversational AI

  • SUNY Buffalo

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Communication barriers have long posed challenges for users of Alternate and Augmentative Communication (AAC). In AAC, effective conversational aids are not solely about harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities but more about ensuring these technologies resonate deeply with AAC user's unique communication challenges. We aim to bridge the gap between generic outputs and genuine human interactions by integrating advanced Conversational AI with personal narratives. While existing solutions offer generic responses, a considerable gap in tailoring outputs reflecting an AAC user's intent must be addressed. Thus, we propose to create a custom conversational dataset centered on the experiences and words of a primary AAC user to fine-tune advanced language models. Additionally, we employ a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) method, drawing context from a summarized version of authored content by the AAC user. This combination ensures that responses are contextually relevant and deeply personal. Preliminary evaluations underscore its transformative potential, with automated metrics and human assessments showcasing significantly enhanced response quality.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication1st Workshop on Customizable NLP
Subtitle of host publicationProgress and Challenges in Customizing NLP for a Domain, Application, Group, or Individual, CustomNLP4U 2024 - Proceedings of the Workshop
EditorsSachin Kumar, Vidhisha Balachandran, Chan Young Park, Weijia Shi, Shirley Anugrah Hayati, Yulia Tsvetkov, Noah A. Smith, Hannaneh Hajishirzi, Dongyeop Kang, David Jurgens
PublisherAssociation for Computational Linguistics (ACL)
Pages12-25
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9798891761803
StatePublished - 2024
Event1st Workshop on Customizable NLP: Progress and Challenges in Customizing NLP for a Domain, Application, Group, or Individual, CustomNLP4U 2024 - Miami, United States
Duration: Nov 16 2024 → …

Publication series

Name1st Workshop on Customizable NLP: Progress and Challenges in Customizing NLP for a Domain, Application, Group, or Individual, CustomNLP4U 2024 - Proceedings of the Workshop

Conference

Conference1st Workshop on Customizable NLP: Progress and Challenges in Customizing NLP for a Domain, Application, Group, or Individual, CustomNLP4U 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityMiami
Period11/16/24 → …

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Empowering AAC Users: A Systematic Integration of Personal Narratives with Conversational AI'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this