An “Embodied Conversational Agent” (ECA) is a type of intelligent user interface[1] that combines the use of gestures, facial expressions, and speech to engage in face-to-face communication with users. This technology[3] is designed to enhance human-computer interaction by providing a more immersive and engaging experience, especially in conversational tasks. ECAs not only use verbal communication but also non-verbal channels, thus enriching the communication process. They are widely applied in various fields such as computer[4] games, virtual training environments, and interactive storytelling[2] systems. However, they are notably absent in major virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa. The use of ECAs is currently being explored in AI advancements in virtual worlds, with a focus on making AI more human-like. Nonetheless, they present challenges such as balancing realism with efficiency, dealing with computational limitations, addressing ethical concerns, ensuring user acceptance, and managing uncertainties in AI behavior. Despite these challenges, ECAs have the potential to revolutionize virtual experiences and influence future AI research.
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In artificial intelligence, an embodied agent, also sometimes referred to as an interface agent, is an intelligent agent that interacts with the environment through a physical body within that environment. Agents that are represented graphically with a body, for example a human or a cartoon animal, are also called embodied agents, although they have only virtual, not physical, embodiment. A branch of artificial intelligence focuses on empowering such agents to interact autonomously with human beings and the environment. Mobile robots are one example of physically embodied agents; Ananova and Microsoft Agent are examples of graphically embodied agents. Embodied conversational agents are embodied agents (usually with a graphical front-end as opposed to a robotic body) that are capable of engaging in conversation with one another and with humans employing the same verbal and nonverbal means that humans do (such as gesture, facial expression, and so forth).