Supporting Artificial Social Intelligence With Theory of Mind.

Jessica Williams,Florian Jentsch,Stephen M Fiore

doi:10.3389/frai.2022.750763

Jessica Williams, Florian Jentsch + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2022.750763

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Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the development of artificial theory of mind as foundational to an agent's ability to collaborate with human team members. Agents imbued with artificial social intelligence will require various capabilities to gather the social data needed to inform an artificial theory of mind of their human counterparts. We draw from social signals theorizing and discuss a framework to guide consideration of core features of artificial social intelligence. We discuss how human social intelligence, and the development of theory of mind, can contribute to the development of artificial social intelligence by forming a foundation on which to help agents model, interpret and predict the behaviors and mental states of humans to support human-agent interaction. Artificial social intelligence will need the processing capabilities to perceive, interpret, and generate combinations of social cues to operate within a human-agent team. Artificial Theory of Mind affords a structure by which a socially intelligent agent could be imbued with the ability to model their human counterparts and engage in effective human-agent interaction. Further, modeling Artificial Theory of Mind can be used by an ASI to support transparent communication with humans, improving trust in agents, so that they may better predict future system behavior based on their understanding of and support trust in artificial socially intelligent agents.

Highlights

Robots, virtual assistants, and other kinds of agents imbued with artificial intelligence (AI) have been, and will continue to be, increasingly implemented across many industries, such as healthcare, military, and transportation, to name a few of the many areas that are being transformed by advances in these technologies (Misuraca et al, 2020)
Interpersonal situations are complicated further when the agent’s knowledge of the situation has to be created and maintained as well as updated. This requires an agent must create and maintain a model of the environment of interaction and the perceived social cues and their situated signals used in artificial theory of mind (AToM) attributions, etc
In this paper we have described how components of artificial social intelligence, in general, and artificial theory of mind, in specific, are foundational to human-agent teaming

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Virtual assistants, and other kinds of agents imbued with artificial intelligence (AI) have been, and will continue to be, increasingly implemented across many industries, such as healthcare, military, and transportation, to name a few of the many areas that are being transformed by advances in these technologies (Misuraca et al, 2020). A well-established component of social intelligence in humans is Theory of Mind (ToM) This is generally seen as the ability to recognize and attribute mental states, beliefs, desires, and intentions to others. Providing an ASI with transparent information related to human behavior will be essential to informing the agent’s AToM This can be employed to facilitate more accurate machine predictions and responses, and effective human-agent interaction— in complex social situations. Some suggest that social intelligence should be understood through the abilities and skills needed for successful social interaction This includes, for example, perceptiveness of others’ internal states and moods; general ability to deal with others; knowledge about social rules and social life; insight and sensitivity in complex social situations; use of social techniques to manipulate others; perspective-taking; and social adaptation (Silvera et al, 2001). Other evaluations of ToM have been adapted to have several variations, such as the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task (RMET; Baron-Cohen et al, 2001)

Summary

DISCUSSION