Factual and Personalized Recommendations using Language Models and Reinforcement Learning

Recommender systems (RSs) play a central role in connecting users to content, products, and services, matching candidate items to users based on their preferences. While traditional RSs rely on implicit user feedback signals, conversational RSs interact with users in natural language. In this work, we develop a comPelling, Precise, Personalized, Preference-relevant language model (P4LM) that recommends items to users while putting emphasis on explaining item characteristics and their relevance. P4LM uses the embedding space representation of a user's preferences to generate compelling responses that are factually-grounded and relevant w.r.t. the user's preferences. Moreover, we develop a joint reward function that measures precision, appeal, and personalization, which we use as AI-based feedback in a reinforcement learning-based language model framework. Using the MovieLens 25M dataset, we demonstrate that P4LM delivers compelling, personalized movie narratives to users

A Work place Study

This dissertation contributes to the existing body of knowledge on how we design computer systems, particularly multiuser software for knowledge sharing and creation in globally diffused companies. This is achieved by conducting a work place study of a global industrial engineering conglomerate which has the strategy of working with knowledge in the form of “best practices” meant to boost performance. The thesis explores the situation that workers are in, since they are meant to share and develop “best practices” knowledge in a portal based Knowledge Management System (KMS). The study indentifies a set of problems that prevents knowledge sharing from taking place to the degree to which management was specifically aiming. It was explored whether these problems could, to some degree, be mitigated by employing persuasive design, which is a new stance towards design where the aim is to directly seek to change the user’s behavior, i.e., persuading more knowledge sharing. The main contribution is an indication of an anomaly with regards to the strategic approach towards knowledge management, where knowledge sharing is seen as an effort by which companies can gain a competitive advantage by working with knowledge in a structured fashion. The issue is that the descriptions found in literature on strategic knowledge management do not address the many issues uncovered when conducting prolonged fieldwork among workers who engage in the activities that the literature seemingly takes for granted. Thus, many practical problems were uncovered that would need some level of mitigation before a company could hope to gain a strategic advantage from working with knowledge. This challenges the “stock" approach towards knowledge management, which seems to address only the management level of the organization. A contribution is also made in exploring the state-of-the-art of the emerging field of persuasive design. Persuasive design aims at enabling designers to create designs that deliberately change the user’s attitude or behavior. According to this new design tradition, the designer specifically designs with the aim of behavior transformation. The goal is a deliberate behavioral change, rather than supporting a set of existing tasks or a set of existing behaviors. The work presented shows how persuasive design is a very conceptual area of research, and that it is not a fitting approach for attaining a higher degree of participation in computer systems for knowledge sharing and creation. Persuasive design is thus not the remedy for the many problems found that prevent knowledge sharing from taking plac

O papel da comunicação não verbal na liderança : bases para um modelo prático

Dissertação de Mestrado em Comunicação SocialUma boa liderança requer modelos de comunicação eficazes e persuasivos. Este projeto pretende analisar modelos de liderança e comunicação de empresas do setor privado enquanto potencial base de inspiração para os agentes soc iais e políticos, na sua atividade de governança. É vasta a literatura publicada sobre comunicação, persuasão e liderança. Porém, um estudo que integre estas dimensões e que constitua a base para um modelo prático poderá oferecer vantagens acrescidas à inv estigação já desenvolvida. A pergunta de partida que suscitou esta investigação é ”qual a influência da comunicação não verbal no processo de persuasão de um líder?” Este projeto tem por objetivos: determinar qual a importância atribuída pelos líderes à C NV; compreender como os líderes utilizam a CNV e estudar o impacto da CNV na relação profissional. Realizou - se uma investigação aplicada, recorrendo ao método qualitativo e envolvendo três técnicas de investigação: entrevistas exploratórias a investigadore s da temática deste estudo, entrevistas individuais em profundidade semiestruturadas a líderes de empresas selecionados de acordo com os critérios amostrais e análise de conteúdo. Os resultados alcançados dão resposta aos objetivos formulados ab initio e i ndicam que a CNV é entendida como um fator muito importante, potenciador da capacidade de persuasão do líder.A good leadership requires effective and persuasive communication models. This study intends to analyze models of leadership and communication in companies of the private sector as a potential basis for inspiration to the social and political agents in its governance activity. However, a study that integrates these dimensions, and which forms the basis for a practical model may offer added advantages to the research already developed. The key question that is in the basis of this investigation is “How inf luent is the non - verbal communication on the persuasion process of a leader”? This study aims to calculate how much importance leaders give to the non - verbal communication, and study the impact that the non - verbal communication has on a professional relati onship. An applied research project, using the qualitative method and involving three investigation techniques – exploratory interviews, semi - structured in depth individual interviews and content analysis – was developed. The results indicate that the CN V is seen as a very important factor, a leverage tool for the persuasiveness of the leader. Building on the results to be obtained on the empirical part and after its analysis and conclusion, it’s expected to reach the basis of a practical leadership model . conclusion, it’s expected to reach the basis of a practical leadership model

Explainable Persuasion for Persuasive Interfaces: The Case of Online Gambling

As human attention is a scarce resource, interactive online platforms such as social networks, gaming and online gambling platforms utilise persuasive interfaces to maximise user engagement. However, ethical concerns may arise since persuasive systems influence user behaviours. While interacting with persuasive systems, users may be unaware of being persuaded or unaware of the negative consequences that may result from interacting with persuasive systems. This can hinder users’ ability to evaluate the persuasion attempt and regulate their behaviour. Moreover, persuasive systems designed to maximise user engagement may, in some cases, trigger or reinforce addictive usage. There is evidence in the literature that online persuasive interfaces may influence psychological and cognitive mechanisms related to addictive behaviour. Transparency and user voluntariness are proposed to be the building blocks of ethical persuasive systems. However, to date, the concept of transparent persuasive technology mainly remained philosophical in academia. One approach to designing persuasive systems that adhere to the transparency and user voluntariness requirements could be fulfilling conditions for informed consent. When interacting with persuasive systems, users could be informed about the persuasive design techniques used by the system, and such information may help users build resilience against persuasion attempts made by the system. Such an approach aligns with the principles outlined in the software engineering code of ethics of avoiding harm and maintaining honesty and trustworthiness. This thesis aims to introduce and evaluate the concept of explainable persuasion in the context of designing ethical digital persuasive interfaces with an analogy to explainable artificial intelligence. A mixed methods approach was conducted to achieve this goal. The thesis focused on a distinct domain, online gambling, as gambling disorder is recognised as a mental disorder by health organisations. Accordingly, a scoping review was conducted first to identify the main persuasive design techniques utilised in online gambling platforms. Identified persuasive design techniques were analysed for their potential to facilitate gambling disorder through the addiction literature. An online survey was then conducted to examine users’ awareness of persuasive design techniques used in online gambling platforms and users’ attitudes towards the concept of explainable persuasion. Finally, an online experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of explainable persuasion as an inoculation intervention in building resilience against persuasive design techniques used in online gambling platforms. The findings of the user studies showed that explainable persuasion was accepted and that it could be a promising solution for designing persuasive interfaces that promote informed choice and strengthen resilience against persuasion if it is not compatible with users’ personal goals. This thesis contributes to transparency and explainability literature as it is one of the first attempts to examine the role of explainability in the domain of persuasive technology which may also have addictive potential. Identifying acceptance and rejection factors of explainable persuasion can help design persuasive interfaces that promote informed usage and meet ethical requirements. This implication does not only apply to persuasive technology but can also be generalised to research areas such as combatting fake news and social engineering. The findings are expected to have important implications for gambling operators and regulators in expanding the scope of responsible gambling practices to ensure explainability and transparency. The results are expected to also benefit wider application areas such as explainability in other contents and interfaces related to marketing, news and recommendations made by or facilitated by intelligent systems

Studying and Supporting Activity Awareness in Collaborative Learning Groups: Using a Persuasive Social Actor

Collaborative learning is known as an effective learning method and various different kinds of technologies have been developed to support and facilitate collaborative learning. Many of these technologies are used to support the functional activities of a group of learners by enabling students to communicate, share documents and materials, track the work of the group, or distribute and allocate tasks. One factor that influences the success of collaborative groups is the awareness that members have of each others' activities i.e. activity awareness (Gutwin et al., 2004). Limited attention has been paid to promoting activity awareness in the collaborative learning literature. The work that does exist has focused on enhancing activity awareness by capturing and sharing details of the activity (e.g. Ganoe et al., 2003; Carroll et al., 2003). In contrast, there are no technologies that focus on the learners’ attitudes and behaviours with regard to activity awareness without considering the functional aspects of the group's work. This PhD hypothesises that persuasive technologies can offer a novel way of promoting activity awareness by changing learners’ attitudes and behaviours and persuading them to be more aware of fellow group members’ activities. This approach to enhancing activity awareness was investigated by using a persuasive social actor to change the attitudes and behaviours of learners who were working on collaborative learning projects over extended periods of time. Four studies were conducted: a pilot study to explore collaborative learning groups, an exploratory study to understand collaboration and activity awareness, a follow-up study to study activity awareness in depth, and a main study where a persuasive social actor for activity awareness in collaborative learning groups was developed and tested. All of these studies focused on a specific collaborative learning setting, in which small numbers of students (3 to 5) worked together in collaborative groups to complete real learning projects over approximately 6 weeks. This thesis makes four contributions to the fields of HCI and collaborative learning. The main contribution is a novel approach to enhance activity awareness in collaborative learning groups by changing learners’ attitudes and behaviours using a persuasive technology i.e. a persuasive social actor. The second contribution is a new method to evaluate activity awareness in collaborative learning groups. The third contribution is insight into how the Persuasive Systems Design (PSD) model (Oinas-kukkonen & Harjumaa, 2009) can be used in the design and evaluation of a persuasive social actor. The fourth contribution is an analysis of how students collaborate in long-term collaborative learning projects in naturalistic settings