Conversational Agents: Theory and Applications
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Abstract (arXiv)
In this chapter, we provide a review of conversational agents (CAs), discussing chatbots, intended for casual conversation with a user, as well as task-oriented agents that generally engage in discussions intended to reach one or several specific goals, often (but not always) within a specific domain. We also consider the concept of embodied conversational agents, briefly reviewing aspects such as character animation and speech processing. The many different approaches for representing dialogue in CAs are discussed in some detail, along with methods for evaluating such agents, emphasizing the important topics of accountability and interpretability. A brief historical overview is given, followed by an extensive overview of various applications, especially in the fields of health and education. We end the chapter by discussing benefits and potential risks regarding the societal impact of current and future CA technology.
Key facts. Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Builds on 50 of its 262 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 7 Feb 2022.
Builds on
50 of 262 references.
References · 50
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38 more
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Built on by
Citing papers per year: 2022: 1; 2023: 4; 2024: 1; 2025: 2.
8 papers.
- 2022CLAM: Selective Clarification for Ambiguous Questions with Generative Language Modelscited by 66
- 2024VLOGGER: Multimodal Diffusion for Embodied Avatar Synthesiscited by 48
- 2025Evaluating LLM Metrics Through Real-World Capabilitiescited by 17
- 2023The Value-Sensitive Conversational Agent Co-Design Frameworkcited by 3
- 2023The Application of Affective Measures in Text-based Emotion Aware Recommender Systemscited by 1
- 2023Knowledge Graph for NLG in the context of conversational agentscited by 1
- 2023Collaborative business intelligence virtual assistantcited by 0
- 2025A Theoretical Framework of the Processes of Change in Psychotherapy Delivered by Artificial Agentscited by 0
- 2025A Theoretical Framework of the Processes of Change in Psychotherapy Delivered by Artificial Agents2 Sep 2025
- 2025Evaluating LLM Metrics Through Real-World Capabilities13 May 2025
- 2024VLOGGER: Multimodal Diffusion for Embodied Avatar Synthesis13 Mar 2024
- 2023Collaborative business intelligence virtual assistant20 Dec 2023
- 2023The Value-Sensitive Conversational Agent Co-Design Framework18 Oct 2023
- 2023Knowledge Graph for NLG in the context of conversational agents4 Jul 2023
- 2023The Application of Affective Measures in Text-based Emotion Aware Recommender Systems4 May 2023
- 2022CLAM: Selective Clarification for Ambiguous Questions with Generative Language Models15 Dec 2022