Should Agents Speak Like, um, Humans?
The Use of Conversational Fillers by Virtual Agents
![The Use of Conversational Fillers by Virtual Agents](/images/getthumbnail?s=150&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.springerlink.com%2Fcontent%2Fe72674328k100l58%2F%3Fp%3D4e26201ecce442c8aaebaeb6da05c932%26pi%3D49)
We describe the design and evaluation of an agent that uses the fillers um and uh in its speech. We describe an empirical study of human-human dialogue, analyzing gaze behavior during the production of fillers and use this data to develop a model of agent-based gaze behavior. We find that speakers are significantly more likely to gaze away from their dialogue partner while uttering fillers, especially if the filler occurs at the beginning of a speaking turn. This model is evaluated in a preliminary experiment. Results indicate mixed attitudes towards an agent that uses conversational fillers in its speech.