Conversational AI in industry and academia
Insights from Dr. Matthew Aylett
In the latest episode of the Building Rapport podcast, Fred Isaac catches up with Dr. Matthew Aylett, Associate Professor at Heriot-Watt University and Chief Scientific Officer at Cereproc. With nearly three decades of experience in speech technology and psycholinguistics, Dr. Aylett offers profound insights into the evolving landscape of conversational AI, its ethical considerations, and its transformative potential in education and beyond.
A Journey Through Speech Technology
Dr. Aylett shares his career trajectory, beginning with his academic work in psycholinguistics and dialog systems, leading to his tenure at Rhetorical Systems, a pioneering speech synthesis company, and becoming one of the chief founders of Cereproc. He highlights his focus on expressive and emotional synthesis and its applications in robots, agents, and characters. Transitioning back to academia, Dr. Aylett now leads courses at Heriot-Watt University, where he emphasizes bridging the gap between academic innovation and industry application.
Conversational AI in Education
The discussion underscores how conversational agents can enrich learning environments. Dr. Aylett explains their potential to facilitate interactive group projects or mediate discussions. Using avatars students can explore complex topics through engaging, dialog-driven interactions. He stresses that these tools should complement traditional teaching methods rather than replace them, fostering collaboration and enhancing the educational experience.
The Role of Rapport’s Technology
Dr. Aylett highlights how Rapport’s intuitive platform has been instrumental in simplifying the development of conversational agents for student projects. Its ease of use enables students and researchers to focus on creating impactful applications rather than grappling with technical hurdles. This collaboration exemplifies how academia and industry can work together to drive innovation.
Balancing Simplicity and Effectiveness
A key takeaway from Dr. Aylett's philosophy is the value of “dumb systems that interact well.” Instead of chasing complexity, he advocates for systems that deliver seamless, intuitive user experiences. Drawing from his commercial background, he explains that usability often outweighs sophistication in determining a system’s success.
Closing Thoughts
The podcast ends with a nod to the dynamic research environment at Heriot-Watt University and the National Robotarium, which continues to push the boundaries of conversational AI and robotics. Dr. Aylett’s reflections provide not only a snapshot of current advancements but also a roadmap for integrating AI into society in meaningful, ethical ways.
To learn more about Rapport’s work in conversational AI, visit rapport.studio.
