Progress in Human-System Interaction

Abstract

The name of this panel session called for a discussion on the progress in human-system interaction. It appears that the progress in that area is invariably associated with intelligent agents, a subject which reoccurred in each panel presentation. An increased power of computing machinery together with an advancement of technology in other areas opened a new frontier for human factors research in complex human machine systems employing high degree of automation as well as humans. Intelligent agents entered various stages of human interaction with complex system, such as the design of automated systems, operation and maintenance of complex systems, and training of humans which interact with complex systems. Agents, by the earliest definition are artifacts that have a very specialized function, usually quite complex. In the human-machine systems intelligent agents often serve as computer interface agents, systems that can serve as go-betweens because they posses some specialized skills. There are agents that serve as assistants to humans interacting and controlling complex systems, and agents that serve as tutors training the humans to operate systems. The set of tasks and applications where intelligent agents could be employed is virtually unlimited.