Adapting In-Game Agent Behavior by Observation of Players Using Learning Behavior Trees

In this paper we describe Learning Behavior Trees, an extension of the popular game AI scripting technique. Behavior Trees provide an effective way for expert designers to describe complex, in-game agent behaviors. Scripted AI captures human intuition about the structure of behavioral decisions, but suffers from brittleness and lack of the natural variation seen in human players. Learning Behavior Trees are designed by a human designer, but then are trained by observation of players performing the same role, to introduce human-like variation to the decision structure. We show that, using this model, a single hand-designed Behavior Tree can cover a wide variety of player behavior variations in a simplified Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game

Clustering-Based Online Player Modeling

Being able to imitate individual players in a game can benefit game development by providing a means to create a variety of autonomous agents and aid understanding of which aspects of game states influence game-play. This paper presents a clustering and locally weighted regression method for modeling and imitating individual players. The algorithm first learns a generic player cluster model that is updated online to capture an individual’s game-play tendencies. The models can then be used to play the game or for analysis to identify how different players react to separate aspects of game states. The method is demonstrated on a tablet-based trajectory generation game called Space Navigator

Life Expansion: Toward an Artistic, Design-Based Theory of the Transhuman / Posthuman

The thesis’ study of life expansion proposes a framework for artistic, design-based approaches concerned with prolonging human life and sustaining personal identity. To delineate the topic: life expansion means increasing the length of time a person is alive and diversifying the matter in which a person exists. For human life, the length of time is bounded by a single century and its matter is tied to biology. Life expansion is located in the domain of human enhancement, distinctly linked to technological interfaces with biology. The thesis identifies human-computer interaction and the potential of emerging and speculative technologies as seeding the promulgation of human enhancement that approach life expansion. In doing so, the thesis constructs an inquiry into historical and current attempts to append human physiology and intervene with its mortality. By encountering emerging and speculative technologies for prolonging life and sustaining personal identity as possible media for artistic, design-based approaches to human enhancement, a new axis is sought that identifies the transhuman and posthuman as conceptual paradigms for life expansion. The thesis asks: What are the required conditions that enable artistic, design-based approaches to human enhancement that explicitly pursue extending human life? This question centers on the potential of the study’s proposed enhancement technologies in their relationship to life, death, and the human condition. Notably, the thesis investigates artistic approaches, as distinct from those of the natural sciences, and the borders that need to be mediated between them. The study navigates between the domains of life extension, art and design, technology, and philosophy in forming the framework for a theory of life expansion. The critical approach seeks to uncover invisible borders between these interconnecting forces by bringing to light issues of sustaining life and personal identity, ethical concerns, including morphological freedom and extinction risk. Such issues relate to the thesis’ interest in life expansion and the use emerging and speculative technologies. 4 The study takes on a triad approach in its investigation: qualitative interviews with experts of the emerging and speculative technologies; field studies encountering research centers of such technologies; and an artistic, autopoietic process that explores the heuristics of life expansion. This investigation forms an integrative view of the human use of technology and its melioristic aim. The outcome of the research is a theoretical framework for further research in artistic approaches to life expansion

Adaptive Automation Design and Implementation

Automations allow us to reduce the need for humans in certain environments, such as auto-pilot features on unmanned aerial vehicles. However, some situations still require human intervention. Adaptive automation is a research field that enables computer systems to adjust the amount of automation by taking over tasks from or giving tasks back to the user. This research develops processes and insights for adaptive automation designers to take theoretical adaptive automation ideas and develop them into real-world adaptive automation system. These allow developers to design better automation systems that recognize the limits of computers systems, enabling better designs for systems in fields such as multi-aircraft control. This research was sponsored by AFOSR

Artificial general intelligence: Proceedings of the Second Conference on Artificial General Intelligence, AGI 2009, Arlington, Virginia, USA, March 6-9, 2009

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) research focuses on the original and ultimate goal of AI – to create broad human-like and transhuman intelligence, by exploring all available paths, including theoretical and experimental computer science, cognitive science, neuroscience, and innovative interdisciplinary methodologies. Due to the difficulty of this task, for the last few decades the majority of AI researchers have focused on what has been called narrow AI – the production of AI systems displaying intelligence regarding specific, highly constrained tasks. In recent years, however, more and more researchers have recognized the necessity – and feasibility – of returning to the original goals of the field. Increasingly, there is a call for a transition back to confronting the more difficult issues of human level intelligence and more broadly artificial general intelligence

Примена виртуелних светова у истраживању теорије агената и инжењерском образовању

The focus of this doctoral dissertation is on exploring the potentials of virtual worlds, for applications in research and education. Regarding this, there are two central aspects that are explored in the dissertation. The first one considers the concept of autonomous agents, and agent theory in general, in the context of virtual worlds. The second aspect is related to the educational applications of virtual worlds, while especially focusing on the concept of virtual laboratories. An introduction to basic terminology related to the subject is given at the start of the dissertation. After that, a thorough analysis of the role of agents in virtual worlds is presented. This, among others, includes the analysis of the techniques that shape the agent’s behavior. The development of the virtual gamified educational system, specially dedicated to agents is then presented in the dissertation, along with a thorough description. While, in the end, analysis of the concept of virtual laboratories in STE (Science, Technology, and Engineering) disciplines is performed, and existing solutions are evaluated according to the criteria defined in the dissertation.Фокус ове докторске дисертације је на истраживању потенцијала виртуелних светова за примене у истраживањима и образовању. У вези са тим, постоје два главна аспекта која су обрађена у дисертацији. Први аспект се тиче концепта аутономних агената, као и теорије агената у целини, а у контексту виртуелних светова. Други аспект је везан за примену виртуелних светова у образовању, при чему је посебан акценат стављен на виртуелне лабораторије. На почетку дисертације је дат кратак увод који се тиче терминологије и појединих појмова везаних за област којом се ова дисертција бави. Након тога је представљена систематична и темељна анализа улоге агената у виртуелним световима. Између осталог, ово укључује и анализу техника потребних за обликовање понашања агената. Потом је у дисертацији детаљно представљен развој оригиналног виртуелног образовног система посвећеног агентима. На крају, анализиран је концепт виртуелних лабораторија у НТИ (наука, технологија, инжењерство) дисциплинама и извршена је евалуација постојећих решења у складу са критеријумима који су дефинисани у дисертацији

De animais a máquinas : humanos tecnicamente melhores nos imaginários de futuro da convergência tecnológica

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Departamento de Sociologia, 2020.O tema desta investigação é discutir os imaginários sociais de ciência e tecnologia que emergem a partir da área da neuroengenharia, em sua relação com a Convergência Tecnológica de quatro disciplinas: Nanotecnologia, Biotecnologia, tecnologias da Informação e tecnologias Cognitivas - neurociências- (CT-NBIC). Estas áreas desenvolvem-se e são articuladas por meio de discursos que ressaltam o aprimoramento das capacidades físicas e cognitivas dos seres humanos, com o intuito de construir uma sociedade melhor por meio do progresso científico e tecnológico, nos limites das agendas de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D). Objetivos: Os objetivos nesse cenário, são discutir as implicações éticas, econômicas, políticas e sociais deste modelo de sistema sociotécnico. Nos referimos, tanto as aplicações tecnológicas, quanto as consequências das mesmas na formação dos imaginários sociais, que tipo de relações se estabelecem e como são criadas dentro desse contexto. Conclusão: Concluímos na busca por refletir criticamente sobre as propostas de aprimoramento humano mediado pela tecnologia, que surgem enquanto parte da agenda da Convergência Tecnológica NBIC. No entanto, as propostas de melhoramento humano vão muito além de uma agenda de investigação. Há todo um quadro de referências filosóficas e políticas que defendem o aprimoramento da espécie, vertentes estas que se aliam a movimentos trans-humanistas e pós- humanistas, posições que são ao mesmo tempo éticas, políticas e econômicas. A partir de nossa análise, entendemos que ciência, tecnologia e política estão articuladas, em coprodução, em relação às expectativas de futuros que são esperados ou desejados. Ainda assim, acreditamos que há um espaço de diálogo possível, a partir do qual buscamos abrir propostas para o debate público sobre questões de ciência e tecnologia relacionadas ao aprimoramento da espécie humana.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)The subject of this research is to discuss the social imaginaries of science and technology that emerge from the area of neuroengineering in relation with the Technological Convergence of four disciplines: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technologies and Cognitive technologies -neurosciences- (CT-NBIC). These areas are developed and articulated through discourses that emphasize the enhancement of human physical and cognitive capacities, the intuition it is to build a better society, through the scientific and technological progress, at the limits of the research and development (R&D) agendas. Objectives: The objective in this scenery, is to discuss the ethic, economic, politic and social implications of this model of sociotechnical system. We refer about the technological applications and the consequences of them in the formation of social imaginaries as well as the kind of social relations that are created and established in this context. Conclusion: We conclude looking for critical reflections about the proposals of human enhancement mediated by the technology. That appear as a part of the NBIC technologies agenda. Even so, the proposals of human enhancement go beyond boundaries that an investigation agenda. There is a frame of philosophical and political references that defend the enhancement of the human beings. These currents that ally to the transhumanism and posthumanism movements, positions that are ethic, politic and economic at the same time. From our analysis, we understand that science, technology and politics are articulated, are in co-production, regarding the expected and desired futures. Even so, we believe that there is a space of possible dialog, from which we look to open proposals for the public discussion on questions of science and technology related to enhancement of human beings

Attention Restraint, Working Memory Capacity, and Mind Wandering: Do Emotional Valence or Intentionality Matter?

Attention restraint appears to mediate the relationship between working memory capacity (WMC) and mind wandering (Kane et al., 2016). Prior work has identifed two dimensions of mind wandering—emotional valence and intentionality. However, less is known about how WMC and attention restraint correlate with these dimensions. Te current study examined the relationship between WMC, attention restraint, and mind wandering by emotional valence and intentionality. A confrmatory factor analysis demonstrated that WMC and attention restraint were strongly correlated, but only attention restraint was related to overall mind wandering, consistent with prior fndings. However, when examining the emotional valence of mind wandering, attention restraint and WMC were related to negatively and positively valenced, but not neutral, mind wandering. Attention restraint was also related to intentional but not unintentional mind wandering. Tese results suggest that WMC and attention restraint predict some, but not all, types of mind wandering