Topic outline

  • Conversational AI & Voice Interaction

    Introduction Pictures containted the words conversational Agent, AI, NLP and HCI

    As an interdisciplinary graduate seminar this course introduces fundamental principles, techniques, and methods for designing, prototyping, and evaluating systems using conversational AI and/ or voice interaction. Such systems may leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP), dialogue modeling, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), generative AI, speech recognition, and synthesis.

    In this course, students gain an understanding of how to apply these methods through critical literature in the field, domain-specific case studies, and hands-on tutorials for project-based learning, participatory design, and user experience evaluation. The course will support the design of responsible and ethical conversational AI systems for human-centered interaction in applied domains such as healthcare, customer service, and playful interaction contexts, with diverse users including children, migrants, and people with special needs.

    This is a highly interactive class: you’ll be expected to actively participate in activities, projects, assignments, design critiques, and discussions. Course content will be tailored to students with different backgrounds and levels of experience. We welcome students and industry practitioners from different disciplines including science/engineering, business, arts/design, architecture, humanities and social sciences. 

    The course will leverage and contribute in many ways to our ongoing work in the Trust M consortia research project with Tampere University, University of Helsinki and the City of Espoo.

    Instructor: Nitin Sawhney, Department of Computer Science (SCI / CS)

    Co-Instructors: Sunok Lee (SCI/ CS), Fedor Vitiugin (SCI / CS), Silas Rech (ELEC/ DICE)

    Please fill out the course Pre-survey (by March 20).

    Public website for course: https://aaltovai.wordpress.com

    Course Schedule

    March 21 - June 6, 2024 (12 weeks)
    Lectures: Thursday 16:15 - 18:00
    Lab Sessions: Tuesday 10:15 - 11:00

    Exceptional Lectures on Wednesdays 27.3 and 8.5 (due to holidays on those Thursdays)

    Location of Lectures & Lab sessions: Kide Building, Konemiehentie 1, Aalto University

    Lectures: R045/1572 Noether (except 30.05.2024 in R001/M205, and Thu 06.06.2024 in R045/1501 Sklodowska-Curie, KIDE)

    Labs: R045/1571 Meitner (except 28.05.2024 in R001/U249)

    Link to access Online Platforms 

    Learning Outcomes:
    1. Demonstrate working knowledge of fundamental principles, theories, and application of conversational AI systems and voice interaction techniques.
    2. Critically examine prior literature and emerging research in conversational AI and voice interaction, including NLP and multi-modal interaction methods.
    3. Design conversational systems for human-centered interaction in applied domains such as healthcare, customer service, and playful interaction contexts (home, museums, and school settings), with diverse users including children, the elderly, and people with special needs.
    4. Conduct rapid prototyping of working applications or proof-of-concept designs for conversational AI and/ or voice-based interaction in applied domains of interest.
    5. Assess the usability and implications of using such systems with intended participants and users.