Close engagements with artificial companions: key social, psychological, ethical and design issues

Artificial companions are typically intelligent cognitive \u27agents\u27, implemented in software or a physical embodiment such as a robot. This paper is a summary of a forum on Artificial Companions in Society held in October 2007. Artificial companions (ACs) are typically intelligent cognitive \u27agents\u27, implemented in software or a physical embodiment such as a robot. They can stay with their \u27owner\u27 for long periods of time, learning to \u27know\u27 their owner\u27s preferences, habits and wishes. An AC could enter a close relationship with its owner by chatting to, advising, informing, entertaining, comforting, assisting with tasks and otherwise supporting her or him. In doing this, the companion should make no technical demands on the user. Companions is studying conversational software-based artificial agents that will get to know their owners over a substantial period. These could be developed to advise, comfort and carry out a wide range of functions to support diverse personal and social needs, such as to be ?artificial companions? for the elderly, helping their owners to learn, or assisting to sustain their owners? fitness and health

Deciphering the codes of internet governance: understanding the hard issues at stake

Is the Internet Governance Forum an ineffectual talking shop unable to influence significantly the hard issues and choices at stake?or an important landmark on the road to more representative multi-stakeholder regulation of the Internet? This paper explores underlying values and policy-making dynamics in international Internet government processes, particularly in relation to the needs of developing countries