As the Large-Language-Model-driven (LLM-driven) Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots became popular, people realized their strong potential in Task-Oriented Dialogue (TOD). However, bots relying wholly on LLMs are unreliable in their knowledge, and whether they can finally produce a correct outcome for the task is not guaranteed. The collaboration among these agents also remains a challenge, since the necessary information to convey is unclear, and the information transfer is by prompts: unreliable, and malicious knowledge is easy to inject. With the help of knowledge representation and reasoning tools such as Answer Set Programming (ASP), conversational agents can be built safely and reliably, and communication among the agents made more reliable as well. We propose a Manager-Customer-Service Dual-Agent paradigm, where ASP-driven bots share the same knowledge base and complete their assigned tasks independently. The agents communicate with each other through the knowledge base, ensuring consistency. The knowledge and information conveyed are encapsulated and invisible to the users, ensuring the security of information transmission. To illustrate the dual-agent conversational paradigm, we have constructed AutoManager, a collaboration system for managing the drive-through window of a fast-food restaurant such as Taco Bell in the US. In AutoManager, the customer service bot takes the customer's order while the manager bot manages the menu and food supply. We evaluated our AutoManager system and compared it with the real-world Taco Bell Drive-Thru AI Order Taker, and the results show that our method is more reliable.

This article was published as a part of the Data Science Blogathon. In addition to socializing with pals, humans are addicted to their smartphones. We primarily communicate via social media, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, and many others. It's always interesting to see how people start using technology on social media platforms. Especially because it is a very simple pattern to understand.

The most exciting new arrival in the world of AI looks, on the surface, disarmingly simple. It's not some subtle game-playing program that can outthink humanity's finest or a mechanically advanced robot that backflips like an Olympian. You start typing and it predicts what comes next. But while this sounds simple, it's an invention that could end up defining the decade to come. The program itself is called GPT-3 and it's the work of San Francisco-based AI lab OpenAI, an outfit that was founded with the ambitious (some say delusional) goal of steering the development of artificial general intelligence or AGI: computer programs that possess all the depth, variety, and flexibility of the human mind. For some observers, GPT-3 -- while very definitely not AGI -- could well be the first step toward creating this sort of intelligence.

The racial profiling and police brutality in the George Floyd incident and #BlackLivesMatter protests and rioting unfolded debate on many levels. One of them is flaws in Artificial Intelligence that end up creating a racial bias in technology which is deemed as an instrumental force to bring digital age. However, all hope is not lost, especially in the Australian start-up sector. Presenting, Akin and Unleash Live, AI-backed companies founded by Liesl Yearsley and Hanno Blankenstein respectively. While Akin, uses AI to build bots that can converse with humans in a lifelike way, Unleash Live employs AI for real-time analysis of video footage coming from security cameras and drones.

For all the giant leaps promised by artificial intelligence, when it comes to business, what we've seen so far amounts to just small steps. In fact, a number of very smart people advise companies to start small with AI: Use it to improve your customer service bots, for example, before you try to deploy it to cure cancer. So, yes, that appears to be a sensible approach. But it can also be a dangerous trap. When you think small, notes this week's guest, you get small results.

Artificial intelligence is no longer just a buzzword but a massive reality now. It is continuing to transform the user experience for all kinds of digital interfaces including mobile apps, e-commerce stores, and enterprise websites. Artificial intelligence is conceived by many as the great replacement of human intelligence. Let us have no doubt that still human intelligence and power of reasoning are miles ahead of machines and software programs in terms of capacity and effectiveness. So, again, now artificial intelligence is just a value addition that is primarily controlled and maneuvered by humans.

New AI systems have beyond-human cognitive abilities, which many of us fear could potentially dehumanize the future of work. However, by automating these skills, AI will push human professionals up the skillset ladder into uniquely human skills such as creativity, social abilities, empathy, and sense-making, which machines cannot automate. As a result, AI will make the workplace more human, not less. This is the gift of AI to Mankind. However, humans will need to change jobs and learn new skills throughout their lives.

New AI systems have beyond-human cognitive abilities, which many of us fear could potentially dehumanize the future of work. However, by automating these skills, AI will push human professionals up the skillset ladder into uniquely human skills such as creativity, social abilities, empathy, and sense-making, which machines cannot automate. As a result, AI will make the workplace more human, not less. This is the gift of AI to Mankind. However, humans will need to change jobs and learn new skills throughout their lives.

It's 2018 and the honeymoon period for bots is officially over. Despite that, there are bots that have shown a lot of promise and businesses are still looking to invest in this new technology, especially for customer service. As someone who has developed multiple chatbots with my company, Teller, I would like to offer my two cents on what makes a bot successful and specifically focus on the bot/human handoff. Before I get to specifics on building hybrid bots, I wanted to spend some time discussing why some bots have been successful and others seem to anger users. For customer service-focused bots, I believe the keys to success are: (1) narrowing the scope of your bot as much as possible and (2) making sure you nail the bot-to-human handoff. Let's dive into each piece.

Soul Machines, a New Zealand startup, thinks so. It builds a customer service bot with an amazingly human face and a simulated nervous system that interprets how customers feel and reacts accordingly--in part by watching them over a webcam. As I reported today, design software maker Autodesk will be the first big client to try out the technology next year--what Soul Machines calls a "digital human"--with a remake of its AVA customer service bot. While many companies boast about personalized service but can't afford to hire enough people (and while most existing customer service bots haven't exactly managed to fill in the gap), Soul Machines sees an opportunity for new CGI and AI-driven techniques. AVA's photorealistic appearance--based on scans and recordings of actress Shushila Takao--is an outgrowth of the work the company's founder, Mark Sagar, has done as a CGI engineer for Hollywood films like Avatar; her "emotional intelligence," guiding how she responds to human cues, comes from his AI research simulating a human nervous system in software.