Samuel Otofa
2026
Mixed-Initiative Dialogue Management for Human-Virtual Agents Interaction in Forum Theatre Inspired Training
Samuel Otofa | Yacine Zerenini | Frederic Bechet | Benoit Favre | Jean-Marie Pergandi | Magalie Ochs
Proceedings of the 16th International Workshop on Spoken Dialogue System Technology
Samuel Otofa | Yacine Zerenini | Frederic Bechet | Benoit Favre | Jean-Marie Pergandi | Magalie Ochs
Proceedings of the 16th International Workshop on Spoken Dialogue System Technology
This work presents a virtual reality (VR) training tool designed to raise awareness of social discrimination (ethnic and gender-based) and to train individuals to respond effectively when witnessing such situations. Inspired by Augusto Boal’s forum theatre, the system recreates interactive scenarios of discrimination using autonomous virtual agents. The user first observes a discriminatory scene, then analyzes it through an interaction with a virtual conversational agent, and finally replays the scene by embodying the discriminated character to explore alternative reactions. From a dialogue system perspective, the project introduces a hybrid dialogue management architecture combining state-based control with Large Language Model (LLM)-driven open dialogue. This mixed-initiative approach allows the system to manage structured training sequences while supporting flexible, context-aware interactions on sensitive topics. The demonstrator illustrates this approach through a case of ordinary sexism in a professional setting, highlighting the potential of spoken dialogue systems in VR for experiential learning and social behavior training.