The United States Army has detailed the development of a new dialogue system that enables humans and robots to hold conversations. The new systems enable ‘fluid communication’ between soldiers and AI, according to the US Army, which refers to its new capability as Joint Understanding and Dialogue Interface (JUDI). By enabling conversations between humans and machines, officials say the two will be able to work together ‘at operational speeds.’
Speech is, of course, the normal way that humans communicate; machines, however, have a far different means of communication, one that is not easily accessible to the average person. Communicating with machines in their preferred language takes time and skill that is not readily available on the battlefield, prompting the development of the new AI system called JUDI.
The interface was developed by the Army Research Laboratory working alongside experts from the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies.
How does JUDI differ from commercialized AI systems like Siri and Google Assistant? The US Army explains that its new interface is suitable for communicating with robots that must engage in reasoning in a physical environment in the potential absence of cloud connectivity. As well, JUDI is designed for use specifically with robots, which contain a variety of hardware for providing context about its environment.
