Argument technology for debating with humans

[Klaralven]

A fully autonomous computer system has been developed that can take part in live debates with people. The findings hint at a future in which artificial intelligence can help humans to formulate and make sense of complex arguments.

The study of arguments has an academic pedigree stretching back to the ancient Greeks, and spans disciplines from theoretical philosophy to computational engineering. Developing computer systems that can recognize arguments in natural human language is one of the most demanding challenges in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Writing in Nature, Slonim et al. report an impressive development in this field: Project Debater, an AI system that can engage with humans in debating competitions. The findings showcase how far research in this area has come, and emphasize the importance of robust engineering that combines different components, each of which handles a particular task, in the development of technology that can recognize, generate and critique arguments in debates.

Less than a decade ago, the analysis of human discourse to identify the ways in which evidence is adduced to support conclusions — a process now known as argument mining — was firmly beyond the capabilities of state-of-the-art AI. Since then, a combination of technical advances in AI and increasing maturity in the engineering of argument technology, coupled with intense commercial demand, has led to rapid expansion of the field. More than 50 laboratories worldwide are working on the problem, including teams at all the large software corporations.

One of the reasons for the explosion of work in this area is that direct application of AI systems that can recognize the statistical regularities of language use in large bodies of text has been transformative in many applications of AI (see ref. 3, for example), but has not, on its own, been as successful in argument mining. This is because argument structure is too varied, too complex, too nuanced and often too veiled to be recognized as easily as, say, sentence structure. Slonim et al. therefore decided to initiate a grand challenge: to develop a fully autonomous system that can take part in live debates with humans. Project Debater is the culmination of this work.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00539-5

[CentralMass]

1. ...

[Klaralven]

2. I don't think that AI can do humor ....

[FreepFryer]

8. Lol. (Nt)

[OxQQme]

3. #####

[badboy67]

4. Wait until these machines figure out they don't need humans anymore...

[FreepFryer]

5. Hell bent on replicating the worst of humanity in AI. The men behind AI are deeply damaged. nt

[Klaralven]

6. How about the women? Author list for paper.

Noam Slonim, Yonatan Bilu, Carlos Alzate, Roy Bar-Haim, Ben Bogin, Francesca Bonin, Leshem Choshen, Edo Cohen-Karlik, Lena Dankin, Lilach Edelstein, Liat Ein-Dor, Roni Friedman-Melamed, Assaf Gavron, Ariel Gera, Martin Gleize, Shai Gretz, Dan Gutfreund, Alon Halfon, Daniel Hershcovich, Ron Hoory, Yufang Hou, Shay Hummel, Michal Jacovi, Charles Jochim, Yoav Kantor, Yoav Katz, David Konopnicki, Zvi Kons, Lili Kotlerman, Dalia Krieger, Dan Lahav, Tamar Lavee, Ran Levy, Naftali Liberman, Yosi Mass, Amir Menczel, Shachar Mirkin, Guy Moshkowich, Shila Ofek-Koifman, Matan Orbach, Ella Rabinovich, Ruty Rinott, Slava Shechtman, Dafna Sheinwald, Eyal Shnarch, Ilya Shnayderman, Aya Soffer, Artem Spector, Benjamin Sznajder, Assaf Toledo, Orith Toledo-Ronen, Elad Venezian & Ranit Aharonov

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03215-w

[FreepFryer]

7. They're not the ones leading the pack. Nowhere close. (Nt)

[Klaralven]

9. Shila Ofek-Koifman

Shila Ofek-Koifman is a senior manager in the Haifa Research lab, leading the AI - Language department.

In this role Shila drives innovation and state of the art technology development in her teams, and works with the business units and with customers, to define new directions, deliver research technologies into products, and drive these technologies into the market.

Shila's department innovates in the areas of Information Retrieval, Social Analytics, Deep learning for text, Affective computing, Natural Language Generation and Summarization and Computational Argumentation, publishes in top conferences in these areas, and collaborates with several business units including Watson, IBM Collaboration solutions and Watson Health.

Shila has a global leadership role in research, for the area of 'Discovery', under which she builds the research agenda and coordinates the global research teams activities in this field.

https://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/view.php?person=il-SHILA

[FreepFryer]

10. Senior manager? Like I said, Not even close. You aren't arguing from knowledge. (Nt)

[FreepFryer]

11. As one of a googolplex examples

World Economic Forum:

To create a gender equal world of AI, we need conscientious work from the AI research community to recruit and promote more female talent; we need to find technical solutions for fair and accountable AI; investors need to support more female founders; and we need to create more images of AI and robots free of gender stereotypes in the media.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/06/this-is-why-ai-has-a-gender-problem/

[FreepFryer]

12. 11 days ago, tech wire Asia

Hence why, the first and most important step in fighting gender bias in AI is to correct the datasets used in training and testing systems, models, and algorithms. The data that informs algorithms, AI, and automation should be sex-disaggregated, otherwise, the experiences of women will not inform these technological tools and in turn, might continue to internalize existing gender biases against women. Moreover, even data related to women should be guarded against any inherent gender bias.

For that to be possible, women should be active participants—rather than mere passive beneficiaries—in creating AI and automation. Women and their experiences should be adequately integrated into all steps related to the design, development, and application of AI and automation. In addition to proactively hiring more women at all levels, AI and automation companies should engage gender experts and women’s organizations from the outset in conducting human rights due diligence.

https://techwireasia.com/2021/03/addressing-the-gender-bias-discrepancy-in-ai/

[FreepFryer]

13. Forbes - As AI Tech Speeds Up, So Should Designed-In Gender Diversity

In competitive markets the temptation is to move fast to gain revenues, market share, and access to capital. This is especially true in AI. However, the risks of doing this have been highlighted by some well-publicised AI failures over the last decade. Many of these failures stem from gender and racial bias inherent in the data used to train AI models. But, the “bro culture” that is pervasive in AI, deficiencies in use case design, and poor consideration of outcomes have also had a role to play.

Given that the deployment of AI is fast becoming essential to business success and, that research shows the positive impact of women on problem solving, innovation and profits, it makes sense for any organization to ensure that its AI programs are supported by gender-diverse teams.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2021/03/08/as-ai-tech-speeds-up-so-should-designed-in-gender-diversity/?sh=e4d9c0660821

[Klaralven]

14. So your contention would be that Project Debater doesn't argue like a woman?

[FreepFryer]

15. No, how do you come to that conclusion? nt

[CrackityJones75]

16. So...

The machines will be sexist because men were involved?

Interesting.

[FreepFryer]

17. LoL! Gender bias in AI and AI business is real. Links provided. Welcome to DU. Nt

[CrackityJones75]

18. I don't doubt that one bit.

But I found the statement comical. That it must be sexist because men were leading it.

I do think gender bias is a problem that reaches everywhere.

What is amazing is my wife started watching the show Scrubs. It was a doctor show from the early 2000’s and she likes the show but the amount of sexism in it is really off putting to her compared to what is out there today. Not that todays shows are much better but you can visibly see a huge difference between then and now. Hopefully we are really working to make things better instead of hust getting better at hiding it.

[FreepFryer]

19. Who said that? (Nt)

[CrackityJones75]

20. Who said what?

[FreepFryer]

21. The statement you found comical. Who said that statement?

“ it must be sexist because men were leading it. ”

[CrackityJones75]

22. I would start with...

“5. Hell bent on replicating the worst of humanity in AI. The men behind AI are deeply damaged“ and follow your thoughts down the thread.

You are talking about gender bias but open with the statement that “The men.....” All men? Most men?

Absolutes are a terrible thing when pursuing solutions.

I don’t doubt gender bias and sexism permeating pretty much everything but I am not a fan of using phrases like the one above.

[FreepFryer]

23. Men are behind it, as cited. And they are damaged. That's my point. Not that AI must be sexist.

The worst of humanity isn’t limited to sexism.

And AI is sexist, as cited.

[FreepFryer]

24. The args you wrongfully attribute to me are more the characterizations made by the other poster.

[CrackityJones75]

25. Ah geez we aren't connecting or even really in disagreement.

Anyway cheers and have a good day!

[FreepFryer]

26. Thanks! U too. (Nt)