This paper attempts to approach the interface of a robot from the perspective of virtual assistants.Virtual assistants can also be characterized as the mind of a robot,since they manage communication and action with t...This paper attempts to approach the interface of a robot from the perspective of virtual assistants.Virtual assistants can also be characterized as the mind of a robot,since they manage communication and action with the rest of the world they exist in.Therefore,virtual assistants can also be described as the brain of a robot and they include a Natural Language Processing(NLP)module for conducting communication in their human-robot interface.This work is focused on inquiring and enhancing the capabilities of this module.The problem is that nothing much is revealed about the nature of the human-robot interface of commercial virtual assistants.Therefore,any new attempt of developing such a capability has to start from scratch.Accordingly,to include corresponding capabilities to a developing NLP system of a virtual assistant,a method of systemic semantic modelling is proposed and applied.For this purpose,the paper briefly reviews the evolution of virtual assistants from the first assistant,in the form of a game,to the latest assistant that has significantly elevated their standards.Then there is a reference to the evolution of their services and their continued offerings,as well as future expectations.The paper presents their structure and the technologies used,according to the data provided by the development companies to the public,while an attempt is made to classify virtual assistants,based on their characteristics and capabilities.Consequently,a robotic NLP interface is being developed,based on the communicative power of a proposed systemic conceptual model that may enhance the NLP capabilities of virtual assistants,being tested through a small natural language dictionary in Greek.展开更多
Conversational agents are natural language interaction interfaces designed to simulate human conversations using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This paper explores current applications of these systems and raises the l...Conversational agents are natural language interaction interfaces designed to simulate human conversations using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This paper explores current applications of these systems and raises the lack of their availability in education. To address this problem, we provide the design of a conversational agent system, which is efficient and time-saving in assisting student/college seeking information about curriculum, scheduling, teachers, classroom location at any time 24/7/365. To verify and validate the design and implementation of our proposed model, a pilot project has been set up involving three leading academic institutions. This platform is designed and developed to help universities provide continuous and instant assistance to their student, staff, and faculty communities.展开更多
Air traffic control is an essential obligation in the aviation industry to have safe and efficient air transportation.Year by year,the workload and on-job-stress of the air traffic controllers are rapidly increasing d...Air traffic control is an essential obligation in the aviation industry to have safe and efficient air transportation.Year by year,the workload and on-job-stress of the air traffic controllers are rapidly increasing due to the rapid growth of air traveling.Controllers are usually dealing with multiple aircrafts at a time and must make quick and accurate decisions to ensure the safety of aircrafts.Heavy workload and high responsibilities create air traffic control a stressful job that sometimes could be error-prone and time-consuming,since controlling and decision-making are solely dependent on human intelligence.To provide effective solutions for the mentioned on the job challenges of the controllers,this study proposed an intelligent virtual assistant system(IVAS)to assist the controllers thereby to reduce the controllers’workload.Consisting of four main parts,which are voice recognition,display conversation on screen,task execution,and text to speech,the proposed system is developed with the aid of artificial intelligence(AI)techniques to make speedy decisions and be free of human interventions.IVAS is a computer-based system that can be activated by the voice of the air traffic controller and then appropriately assist to control the flight.IVAS identifies the words spoken by the controller and then a virtual assistant navigates to collect the data requested from the controllers,which allows additional or free time to the controllers to contemplate more on the work or could assist to another aircraft.The Google speech application programming interface(API)converts audio to text to recognize keywords.AI agent is trained using the Hidden marko model(HMM)algorithm such that it could learn the characteristics of the distinct voices of the controllers.At this stage,the proposed IVAS can be used to provide training for novice air traffic controllers effectively.The system is to be developed as a real-time system which could be used at the air traffic controlling base for actual traffic controlling purposes and the system is to be further upgraded to perform the task by recognizing keywords directly from the pilot voice command.展开更多
Task-oriented virtual assistants are software systems that provide users with a natural language interface to complete domain-specific tasks.With the recent technological advances in natural language processing and ma...Task-oriented virtual assistants are software systems that provide users with a natural language interface to complete domain-specific tasks.With the recent technological advances in natural language processing and machine learning,an increasing number of task-oriented virtual assistants have been developed.However,due to the well-known complexity and difficulties of the natural language understanding problem,it is challenging to manage a task-oriented virtual assistant software project.Meanwhile,the management and experience related to the development of virtual assistants are hardly studied or shared in the research community or industry,to the best of our knowledge.To bridge this knowledge gap,in this paper,we share our experience and the lessons that we have learned at managing a task-oriented virtual assistant software project at Microsoft.We believe that our practices and the lessons learned can provide a useful reference for other researchers and practitioners who aim to develop a virtual assistant system.Finally,we have developed a requirement management tool,named SpecSpace,which can facilitate the management of virtual assistant projects.展开更多
Cloud computing provides the essential infrastructure for multi-tier Ambient Assisted Living(AAL) applications that facilitate people's lives. Resource provisioning is a critically important problem for AAL applic...Cloud computing provides the essential infrastructure for multi-tier Ambient Assisted Living(AAL) applications that facilitate people's lives. Resource provisioning is a critically important problem for AAL applications in cloud data centers(CDCs). This paper focuses on modeling and analysis of multi-tier AAL applications, and aims to optimize resource provisioning while meeting requests' response time constraint. This paper models a multi-tier AAL application as a hybrid multi-tier queueing model consisting of an M/M/c queueing model and multiple M/M/1 queueing models. Then, virtual machine(VM) allocation is formulated as a constrained optimization problem in a CDC, and is further solved with the proposed heuristic VM allocation algorithm(HVMA). The results demonstrate that the proposed model and algorithm can effectively achieve dynamic resource provisioning while meeting the performance constraint.展开更多
Banks daily interact with a vast number of customers and are still depending on a legacy system. With today’s advances in technology, regarding lifting almost all processes to automation, from start of production to ...Banks daily interact with a vast number of customers and are still depending on a legacy system. With today’s advances in technology, regarding lifting almost all processes to automation, from start of production to finish, there is a need for revolution in archaic monetary management institutes. By not being in tune with the contemporary trends and times, banks are losing on an opportunity to transform some of their business models and relieve humans of repetitive work, prevent frauds, make better decisions and consequently gain losses. Banks can engage in implementation of new Virtual Assistants and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) machine learning technologies, just as the other industries have engaged in modernizing <i>i.e. </i> medical checks, medical reports and evaluations, and this research paper will elaborate and emphasize the impact of artificial intelligence implementation on the banking sector processes. This research is based on both quantitative and model-based proofs of system performance by using several analytical tools, such as SPSS. The automation process helps institutions to enhance profitability, performance and to reduce human dependency. In a nutshell, Virtual Assistants powered with Artificial Intelligence improve the business process performance in every sector of business, especially the banking sector making it fast, reliable and not human dependent.展开更多
How organizations analyze and use data for decision-making has been changed by cognitive computing and artificial intelligence (AI). Cognitive computing solutions can translate enormous amounts of data into valuable i...How organizations analyze and use data for decision-making has been changed by cognitive computing and artificial intelligence (AI). Cognitive computing solutions can translate enormous amounts of data into valuable insights by utilizing the power of cutting-edge algorithms and machine learning, empowering enterprises to make deft decisions quickly and efficiently. This article explores the idea of cognitive computing and AI in decision-making, emphasizing its function in converting unvalued data into valuable knowledge. It details the advantages of utilizing these technologies, such as greater productivity, accuracy, and efficiency. Businesses may use cognitive computing and AI to their advantage to obtain a competitive edge in today’s data-driven world by knowing their capabilities and possibilities [1].展开更多
This work is about the progress of previous related work based on an experiment to improve the intelligence of robotic systems,with the aim of achieving more linguistic communication capabilities between humans and ro...This work is about the progress of previous related work based on an experiment to improve the intelligence of robotic systems,with the aim of achieving more linguistic communication capabilities between humans and robots.In this paper,the authors attempt an algorithmic approach to natural language generation through hole semantics and by applying the OMAS-III computational model as a grammatical formalism.In the original work,a technical language is used,while in the later works,this has been replaced by a limited Greek natural language dictionary.This particular effort was made to give the evolving system the ability to ask questions,as well as the authors developed an initial dialogue system using these techniques.The results show that the use of these techniques the authors apply can give us a more sophisticated dialogue system in the future.展开更多
Since its launch in 2014,Amazon Echo family of devices has seen a considerable increase in adaptation in consumer homes and offices.With a market worth millions of dollars,Echo is used for diverse tasks such as access...Since its launch in 2014,Amazon Echo family of devices has seen a considerable increase in adaptation in consumer homes and offices.With a market worth millions of dollars,Echo is used for diverse tasks such as accessing online information,making phone calls,purchasing items,and controlling the smart home.Echo offers user-friendly voice interaction to automate everyday tasks making it a massive success.Though many people view Amazon Echo as a helpful assistant at home or office,few know its underlying security and privacy implications.In this paper,we present the findings of our research on Amazon Echo’s security and privacy concerns.The findings are divided into different categories by vulnerability or attacks.The proposed mitigation(s)to the vulnerabilities are also presented in the paper.We conclude that though numerous privacy concerns and security vulnerabilities associated with the device are mitigated,many vulnerabilities still need to be addressed.展开更多
This article will address some digitalization projects that the Spanish Tax Agency is developing,most of them fully in-house,either for control or for assistance purposes.Firstly,the real-time VAT reporting system cal...This article will address some digitalization projects that the Spanish Tax Agency is developing,most of them fully in-house,either for control or for assistance purposes.Firstly,the real-time VAT reporting system called SII,in place since July 2017,which has enabled a more timely and better control of VAT operations and at the same time has contributed to reducing the administrative burden on taxpayers.Secondly,the online tools progressively developed for assistance to VAT taxpayers,including the use of AI and the establishment of a new model of assistance through the ADIs,whole of digital assistance offices adding to the walk-in services in the local offices.Thirdly,the reporting obligation of intermediaries in the vacational rentals since year 2018 as a tool to boost voluntary compliance and improve the control of this sector,especially transactions where electronic platforms are involved;and last,but not least,the IT tool developed to hold virtual meetings between tax auditors and taxpayers called VIVIs,which will contribute to the efficiency of the Tax Agency and will also reduce the administrative burden on taxpayers.展开更多
文摘This paper attempts to approach the interface of a robot from the perspective of virtual assistants.Virtual assistants can also be characterized as the mind of a robot,since they manage communication and action with the rest of the world they exist in.Therefore,virtual assistants can also be described as the brain of a robot and they include a Natural Language Processing(NLP)module for conducting communication in their human-robot interface.This work is focused on inquiring and enhancing the capabilities of this module.The problem is that nothing much is revealed about the nature of the human-robot interface of commercial virtual assistants.Therefore,any new attempt of developing such a capability has to start from scratch.Accordingly,to include corresponding capabilities to a developing NLP system of a virtual assistant,a method of systemic semantic modelling is proposed and applied.For this purpose,the paper briefly reviews the evolution of virtual assistants from the first assistant,in the form of a game,to the latest assistant that has significantly elevated their standards.Then there is a reference to the evolution of their services and their continued offerings,as well as future expectations.The paper presents their structure and the technologies used,according to the data provided by the development companies to the public,while an attempt is made to classify virtual assistants,based on their characteristics and capabilities.Consequently,a robotic NLP interface is being developed,based on the communicative power of a proposed systemic conceptual model that may enhance the NLP capabilities of virtual assistants,being tested through a small natural language dictionary in Greek.
文摘Conversational agents are natural language interaction interfaces designed to simulate human conversations using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This paper explores current applications of these systems and raises the lack of their availability in education. To address this problem, we provide the design of a conversational agent system, which is efficient and time-saving in assisting student/college seeking information about curriculum, scheduling, teachers, classroom location at any time 24/7/365. To verify and validate the design and implementation of our proposed model, a pilot project has been set up involving three leading academic institutions. This platform is designed and developed to help universities provide continuous and instant assistance to their student, staff, and faculty communities.
文摘Air traffic control is an essential obligation in the aviation industry to have safe and efficient air transportation.Year by year,the workload and on-job-stress of the air traffic controllers are rapidly increasing due to the rapid growth of air traveling.Controllers are usually dealing with multiple aircrafts at a time and must make quick and accurate decisions to ensure the safety of aircrafts.Heavy workload and high responsibilities create air traffic control a stressful job that sometimes could be error-prone and time-consuming,since controlling and decision-making are solely dependent on human intelligence.To provide effective solutions for the mentioned on the job challenges of the controllers,this study proposed an intelligent virtual assistant system(IVAS)to assist the controllers thereby to reduce the controllers’workload.Consisting of four main parts,which are voice recognition,display conversation on screen,task execution,and text to speech,the proposed system is developed with the aid of artificial intelligence(AI)techniques to make speedy decisions and be free of human interventions.IVAS is a computer-based system that can be activated by the voice of the air traffic controller and then appropriately assist to control the flight.IVAS identifies the words spoken by the controller and then a virtual assistant navigates to collect the data requested from the controllers,which allows additional or free time to the controllers to contemplate more on the work or could assist to another aircraft.The Google speech application programming interface(API)converts audio to text to recognize keywords.AI agent is trained using the Hidden marko model(HMM)algorithm such that it could learn the characteristics of the distinct voices of the controllers.At this stage,the proposed IVAS can be used to provide training for novice air traffic controllers effectively.The system is to be developed as a real-time system which could be used at the air traffic controlling base for actual traffic controlling purposes and the system is to be further upgraded to perform the task by recognizing keywords directly from the pilot voice command.
文摘Task-oriented virtual assistants are software systems that provide users with a natural language interface to complete domain-specific tasks.With the recent technological advances in natural language processing and machine learning,an increasing number of task-oriented virtual assistants have been developed.However,due to the well-known complexity and difficulties of the natural language understanding problem,it is challenging to manage a task-oriented virtual assistant software project.Meanwhile,the management and experience related to the development of virtual assistants are hardly studied or shared in the research community or industry,to the best of our knowledge.To bridge this knowledge gap,in this paper,we share our experience and the lessons that we have learned at managing a task-oriented virtual assistant software project at Microsoft.We believe that our practices and the lessons learned can provide a useful reference for other researchers and practitioners who aim to develop a virtual assistant system.Finally,we have developed a requirement management tool,named SpecSpace,which can facilitate the management of virtual assistant projects.
文摘Cloud computing provides the essential infrastructure for multi-tier Ambient Assisted Living(AAL) applications that facilitate people's lives. Resource provisioning is a critically important problem for AAL applications in cloud data centers(CDCs). This paper focuses on modeling and analysis of multi-tier AAL applications, and aims to optimize resource provisioning while meeting requests' response time constraint. This paper models a multi-tier AAL application as a hybrid multi-tier queueing model consisting of an M/M/c queueing model and multiple M/M/1 queueing models. Then, virtual machine(VM) allocation is formulated as a constrained optimization problem in a CDC, and is further solved with the proposed heuristic VM allocation algorithm(HVMA). The results demonstrate that the proposed model and algorithm can effectively achieve dynamic resource provisioning while meeting the performance constraint.
文摘Banks daily interact with a vast number of customers and are still depending on a legacy system. With today’s advances in technology, regarding lifting almost all processes to automation, from start of production to finish, there is a need for revolution in archaic monetary management institutes. By not being in tune with the contemporary trends and times, banks are losing on an opportunity to transform some of their business models and relieve humans of repetitive work, prevent frauds, make better decisions and consequently gain losses. Banks can engage in implementation of new Virtual Assistants and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) machine learning technologies, just as the other industries have engaged in modernizing <i>i.e. </i> medical checks, medical reports and evaluations, and this research paper will elaborate and emphasize the impact of artificial intelligence implementation on the banking sector processes. This research is based on both quantitative and model-based proofs of system performance by using several analytical tools, such as SPSS. The automation process helps institutions to enhance profitability, performance and to reduce human dependency. In a nutshell, Virtual Assistants powered with Artificial Intelligence improve the business process performance in every sector of business, especially the banking sector making it fast, reliable and not human dependent.
文摘How organizations analyze and use data for decision-making has been changed by cognitive computing and artificial intelligence (AI). Cognitive computing solutions can translate enormous amounts of data into valuable insights by utilizing the power of cutting-edge algorithms and machine learning, empowering enterprises to make deft decisions quickly and efficiently. This article explores the idea of cognitive computing and AI in decision-making, emphasizing its function in converting unvalued data into valuable knowledge. It details the advantages of utilizing these technologies, such as greater productivity, accuracy, and efficiency. Businesses may use cognitive computing and AI to their advantage to obtain a competitive edge in today’s data-driven world by knowing their capabilities and possibilities [1].
文摘This work is about the progress of previous related work based on an experiment to improve the intelligence of robotic systems,with the aim of achieving more linguistic communication capabilities between humans and robots.In this paper,the authors attempt an algorithmic approach to natural language generation through hole semantics and by applying the OMAS-III computational model as a grammatical formalism.In the original work,a technical language is used,while in the later works,this has been replaced by a limited Greek natural language dictionary.This particular effort was made to give the evolving system the ability to ask questions,as well as the authors developed an initial dialogue system using these techniques.The results show that the use of these techniques the authors apply can give us a more sophisticated dialogue system in the future.
文摘Since its launch in 2014,Amazon Echo family of devices has seen a considerable increase in adaptation in consumer homes and offices.With a market worth millions of dollars,Echo is used for diverse tasks such as accessing online information,making phone calls,purchasing items,and controlling the smart home.Echo offers user-friendly voice interaction to automate everyday tasks making it a massive success.Though many people view Amazon Echo as a helpful assistant at home or office,few know its underlying security and privacy implications.In this paper,we present the findings of our research on Amazon Echo’s security and privacy concerns.The findings are divided into different categories by vulnerability or attacks.The proposed mitigation(s)to the vulnerabilities are also presented in the paper.We conclude that though numerous privacy concerns and security vulnerabilities associated with the device are mitigated,many vulnerabilities still need to be addressed.
文摘This article will address some digitalization projects that the Spanish Tax Agency is developing,most of them fully in-house,either for control or for assistance purposes.Firstly,the real-time VAT reporting system called SII,in place since July 2017,which has enabled a more timely and better control of VAT operations and at the same time has contributed to reducing the administrative burden on taxpayers.Secondly,the online tools progressively developed for assistance to VAT taxpayers,including the use of AI and the establishment of a new model of assistance through the ADIs,whole of digital assistance offices adding to the walk-in services in the local offices.Thirdly,the reporting obligation of intermediaries in the vacational rentals since year 2018 as a tool to boost voluntary compliance and improve the control of this sector,especially transactions where electronic platforms are involved;and last,but not least,the IT tool developed to hold virtual meetings between tax auditors and taxpayers called VIVIs,which will contribute to the efficiency of the Tax Agency and will also reduce the administrative burden on taxpayers.
