CLSP Fall Seminar Series: Michael Bernstein

Description

Michael Bernstein, an associate professor of computer science at Stanford University, will present a Center for Language and Speech Processing seminar titled "Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior."

Abstract:

Effective models of human attitudes and behavior can empower applications ranging from immersive environments to social policy simulation. However, traditional simulations have struggled to capture the complexity and contingency of human behavior. I argue that modern artificial intelligence (AI) models allow us to reexamine this limitation. I make my case through generative agents: computational software agents that simulate believable human behavior. Generative agents enable us to populate an interactive sandbox environment inspired by The Sims, a small town of 25 agents. Our generative agent architecture empowers agents to remember, reflect, and plan. Extending my line of argument, I explore how we might reason about the accuracy of these models, and how modeling human behavior and attitudes can help us design more effective online social spaces, understand the societal disagreement underlying modern AI models, and better embed societal values into our algorithms.