An Implemented Dialogue System for Inquiry and Persuasion

Abstract

In this paper, we present an implemented system that enables autonomous agents to engage in dialogues that involve inquiries embedded within a process of practical reasoning. The implementation builds upon an existing formal model of value-based argumentation, which has itself been extended to permit a wider range of arguments to be expressed. We present extensions to the formal underlying theory used for the dialogue system, as well as the implementation itself. We demonstrate the use of the system through a particular case study. We discuss a number of interesting issues that have arisen from the implementation and the experimental avenues that this test-bed will enable us to pursue.