Chatbots for learning: A review of educational chatbots for the Facebook Messenger

With the exponential growth in the mobile device market over the last decade, chatbots are becoming an increasingly popular option to interact with users, and their popularity and adoption are rapidly spreading. These mobile devices change the way we communicate and allow ever-present learning in various environments. This study examined educational chatbots for Facebook Messenger to support learning. The independent web directory was screened to assess chatbots for this study resulting in the identification of 89 unique chatbots. Each chatbot was classified by language, subject matter and developer's platform. Finally, we evaluated 47 educational chatbots using the Facebook Messenger platform based on the analytic hierarchy process against the quality attributes of teaching, humanity, affect, and accessibility. We found that educational chatbots on the Facebook Messenger platform vary from the basic level of sending personalized messages to recommending learning content. Results show that chatbots which are part of the instant messaging application are still in its early stages to become artificial intelligence teaching assistants. The findings provide tips for teachers to integrate chatbots into classroom practice and advice what types of chatbots they can try out.Web of Science151art. no. 10386

Virtual personal assistant

Abstract This report discusses ways in which new technology could be harnessed to create an intelligent Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA) with a focus on user-based information. It will look at examples of intelligent programs with natural language processing that are currently available, with different categories of support, and examine the potential usefulness of one specific piece of software as a VPA. This engages the ability to communicate socially through natural language processing, holding (and analysing) information within the context of the user. It is suggested that new technologies may soon make the idea of virtual personal assistants a reality. Experiments conducted on this system, combined with user testing, have provided evidence that a basic program with natural language processing algorithms in the form of a VPA, with basic natural language processing and the ability to function without the need for other type of human input (or programming) may already be viable

Designing Women: Essentializing Femininity in AI Linguistics

Since the eighties, feminists have considered technology a force capable of subverting sexism because of technology’s ability to produce unbiased logic. Most famously, Donna Haraway’s “A Cyborg Manifesto” posits that the cyborg has the inherent capability to transcend gender because of its removal from social construct and lack of loyalty to the natural world. But while humanoids and artificial intelligence have been imagined as inherently subversive to gender, current artificial intelligence perpetuates gender divides in labor and language as their programmers imbue them with traits considered “feminine.” A majority of 21st century AI and humanoids are programmed to fit female stereotypes as they fulfill emotional labor and perform pink-collar tasks, whether through roles as therapists, query-fillers, or companions. This paper examines four specific chat-based AI --ELIZA, XiaoIce, Sophia, and Erica-- and examines how their feminine linguistic patterns are used to maintain the illusion of emotional understanding in regards to the tasks that they perform. Overall, chat-based AI fails to subvert gender roles, as feminine AI are relegated to the realm of emotional intelligence and labor

Artificial Intelligence in the Context of Human Consciousness

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be defined as the ability of a machine to learn and make decisions based on acquired information. AI’s development has incited rampant public speculation regarding the singularity theory: a futuristic phase in which intelligent machines are capable of creating increasingly intelligent systems. Its implications, combined with the close relationship between humanity and their machines, make achieving understanding both natural and artificial intelligence imperative. Researchers are continuing to discover natural processes responsible for essential human skills like decision-making, understanding language, and performing multiple processes simultaneously. Artificial intelligence attempts to simulate these functions through techniques like artificial neural networks, Markov Decision Processes, Human Language Technology, and Multi-Agent Systems, which rely upon a combination of mathematical models and hardware

Embedded noninteractive continuous bot detection

Multiplayer online computer games are quickly growing in popularity, with millions of players logging in every day. While most play in accordance with the rules set up by the game designers, some choose to utilize artificially intelligent assistant programs, a.k.a. bots, to gain an unfair advantage over other players. In this article we demonstrate how an embedded noninteractive test can be used to prevent automatic artificially intelligent players from illegally participating in online game-play. Our solution has numerous advantages over traditional tests, such as its nonobtrusive nature, continuous verification, and simple noninteractive and outsourcing-proof design. © 2008 ACM

Using Artificial Intelligence to Circumvent the Teacher Shortage in Special Education: A Phenomenological Investigation

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological research study was to understand district technology leaders’ receptivity to employing artificial co-teachers, based on their lived experiences with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Facing a problematic teacher shortage in special education, the Jade County School District was not readily employing available AI technologies such as IBM’s WATSON and MIT Media Lab’s TEGA, to aide in filling the instructional voids caused by special education teacher attrition. Veblen’s theory of technological determinism provided the necessary framework for this study, which focused on how district technology leaders described their willingness or apprehension to employ autonomous machines to independently instruct students with disabilities in the classroom. This research study was carried out in a large public-school district with a high number of special education teacher vacancies. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 11 district-level technology leaders who were responsible for developing and sharing a vision for how new technology could be employed to support the needs of students. The principal researcher applied hermeneutic phenomenology to interpret data from photo-elicitations, audio-recorded focus groups, and individual interviews