OFMTutor: An operator function model intelligent tutoring system

The design, implementation, and evaluation of an Operator Function Model intelligent tutoring system (OFMTutor) is presented. OFMTutor is intended to provide intelligent tutoring in the context of complex dynamic systems for which an operator function model (OFM) can be constructed. The human operator's role in such complex, dynamic, and highly automated systems is that of a supervisory controller whose primary responsibilities are routine monitoring and fine-tuning of system parameters and occasional compensation for system abnormalities. The automated systems must support the human operator. One potentially useful form of support is the use of intelligent tutoring systems to teach the operator about the system and how to function within that system. Previous research on intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) is considered. The proposed design for OFMTutor is presented, and an experimental evaluation is described

Algorithmic transparency of conversational agents

A lack of algorithmic transparency is a major barrier to the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies within contexts which require high risk and high consequence decision making. In this paper we present a framework for providing transparency of algorithmic processes. We include important considerations not identified in research to date for the high risk and high consequence context of defence intelligence analysis. To demonstrate the core concepts of our framework we explore an example application (a conversational agent for knowledge exploration) which demonstrates shared human-machine reasoning in a critical decision making scenario. We include new findings from interviews with a small number of analysts and recommendations for future research

Common Knowledge: A Survey

This paper discusses the motivation behind common knowledge. Common knowledge has been argued to be necessary for joint action in general and for language use as a particular kind of joint action. However, this term has been broadly interpreted. Two major issues must be addressed: (1) What mental state corresponds to common knowledge, i.e., is knowledge, belief or supposition the appropriate mental attitude? (2) What inference process allows agents to achieve common knowledge? Most generally, common knowledge is used to describe the knowledge that is evidenced in reflexive reasoning. The term has also been used to refer to facts or objects which are mutually salient. One of the main problems for a theory of common knowledge is whether knowledge is the appropriate mental attitude. It seems as though probabilistic beliefs might approximate the cognitive phenomenon of common knowledge more closely than knowledge. The main problem with a usable notion of common knowledge is that inference must play a critical role in what becomes common knowledge. I discuss the nature of conversational inference. It has a number of properties that distinguish it from other inferential systems, such as being apparently abductive and probabilistic, but a precise characterization of it is an unsolved problem. I suggest that in cases where ensuring common knowledge really matters, participants in dialogue accomplish this is by exploiting opportunities for redundancy in conversation

Human-computer interaction in distributed supervisory control tasks

An overview of activities concerned with the development and applications of the Operator Function Model (OFM) is presented. The OFM is a mathematical tool to represent operator interaction with predominantly automated space ground control systems. The design and assessment of an intelligent operator aid (OFMspert and Ally) is particularly discussed. The application of OFM to represent the task knowledge in the design of intelligent tutoring systems, designated OFMTutor and ITSSO (Intelligent Tutoring System for Satellite Operators), is also described. Viewgraphs from symposia presentations are compiled along with papers addressing the intent inferencing capabilities of OFMspert, the OFMTutor system, and an overview of intelligent tutoring systems and the implications for complex dynamic systems

Highlighting User Related Advice

Research on explanation techniques for expert systems has demonstrated that (1) explanations are most effective when they address the user's needs and (2) it is necessary to augment explanations with information that is missing from the expert system‘s reasoning. It is our thesis that explanation content can also be improved by removing extraneous information from the system's reasoning and recognizing the remainder to emphasize user concerns. To test our ideas, we have developed an interactive natural language problem-solving system called ADVISOR which advises students on course selection. Previously, we have reported on our methodology for deriving user goals from the discourse, representing different points of view in the knowledge base and inferring user-oriented advice with a rule-based system that employs information from the appropriate perspective to address user goals. In this paper, we describe a model for pruning an explanation to highlight the role of the user's goal. The model is part of ADVISOR's natural language generation component. We demonstrate its efficacy with examples of different advice that ADVISOR provides for the same query in the context of different goals