PhD student position in interactive machine reasoning, Delft (The Netherlands)

At TU Delft in collaboration with University of Twente we are looking for a PhD student on Interactive Machine Reasoning for Responsible Hybrid Intelligence.

Hybrid Intelligence is the combination of human and machine intelligence, expanding human intellect instead of replacing it. The project centers around the concept of an Electronic Partner (e-partner), an intelligent agent that can support its user in a variety of daily activities, for example changing habits. In previous research  we have developed knowledge structures for representing desired habits and underlying personal values, and a conversational agent that elicits this information from the user. The goal of the current project is to develop machine reasoning techniques and conversational strategies that allow the e-partner to interpret and adapt this information at run-time in interaction with the user based on the context. In other words, the e-partner should be able to tune in to the needs of the user as it provides support, and assess whether its support (still) aligns with user needs. With this project we lay the foundations for the novel area of Interactive Machine Reasoning in which meaning-making happens in coaction between human and technology, allowing people to maintain their personal space and agency. With this we go beyond a view of AI that centers autonomous decision making, towards Hybrid Intelligence.

The position is based at TU Delft, The Netherlands, with the Interactive Intelligence section, faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, and is co-supervised with the Human-Media Interaction group at University of Twente.