Trust me, I’m a robot
By: News Archive
Researchers at the University of East Anglia are launching a project to make chatbots more trustworthy.
From banking and insurance to shopping and dating – these increasingly human-like computer programs are fast becoming part of society.
But the fact that users are not keen on disclosing sensitive information to them is a sticking point for tech providers.
Researchers at UEA, the University of Kent, Oxford Brookes and Cranfield University will investigate how chatbots can be designed to appear more trustworthy – thanks to £500,000 funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Lead researcher Dr Oliver Buckley from UEA’s School of Computing Sciences, said: “The way that we interact with technology is evolving rapidly and users expect fast, reliable and accurate information. In order to deliver systems capable of meeting these expectations, both businesses and government departments alike are turning to chatbots.
“Chatbots are all around us, particularly in customer support roles. They’re speaking to us on the phone, emailing us, and responding to text messages – with answers to queries and even providing advice and guidance.
“They are very convincing but a big problem is that people don’t trust them with sensitive or private information - for example to do with their health, or banking.
“We want to know how chatbots can become even more personable to encourage people to disclose sensitive or confidential information.
“We will investigate how technology can be optimised to provide a more effective method of communication, and focus on the implicit trust that a user has with a chatbot.
The PRoCEED (A Platform for Responsive Chatbot to Enhance Engagement and Disclosure) project will involve researchers from UEA’s School of Computing Sciences and School of Psychology. It will focus on the nature of sensitive information - and how the context of the information can play a role in its perceived sensitivity.
A range of experiments will help researchers better-understand public perceptions of personal information, and how those perceptions relate to the classification of information.
Dr Buckley said: “In order to fully understand the use of chatbots, it is essential to properly understand the nature of personal, sensitive information and also their perceived trustworthiness.
“We will examine how a chatbot’s humanity, personality and appearance can be used to affect an individual's perceptions and trust in them.”
The project will focus on the use of chatbots across three key sectors - healthcare, defence and security and technology. These sectors are significant users of chatbots and all deal with potentially sensitive and personal information, as well as being areas of significant public spending.
“We will look at how interactions between humans and computers can be optimised to deliver a bespoke chatbot tailored to meet individual expectations and needs. This in turn will increase the trust and confidence in these digital services,” added Dr Buckley.
Related Articles
Could ‘digital’ smell training restore your sense of smell?
Researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) are launching a ground-breaking project to improve the lives of people affected by smell disorders.
Read more
Nurses worldwide rely on intuition to triage patients
Nurses around the world use intuition to work out how sick a patient is before triaging for treatment according to new research from the University of East Anglia.
Read more
British sex lives revealed in new study
A new study published today shows the number of sexual partners we have changes as we age and there are some surprising results.
Read more