A formal framework of conversational goals based on strategic reasoning

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a formal framework of strategic reasoning that agents use when interacting in a dialogue and trying to achieve their conversational goals. Such argumentation-based reasoning enables agents to generate a set of strategic goals depending on a set of constraints. Strategic goals are sub-goals, which are necessary to achieve a conversational goal. Some of these sub-goals are generated at the beginning of the interaction and they can be canceled or substituted by alternatives during the dialogue. An original characteristic of this framework is that it enables agents to persist in the achievement of their goals by considering alternatives and calculating the feasibility of each sub-goal. The set of constraints as well as sub-goals can be set at the beginning or during the dialogue. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.