U.S. patent application number 16/144112 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-02 for behavioral influence system in socially collaborative tools.
The applicant listed for this patent is INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Mark Delaney, Robert H. Grant, Liam S. Harpur, Brett Ward.
Application Number | 20200106988 16/144112 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 69946813 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20200106988 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Harpur; Liam S. ; et
al. |
April 2, 2020 |
BEHAVIORAL INFLUENCE SYSTEM IN SOCIALLY COLLABORATIVE TOOLS
Abstract
Methods, systems, and computer program products for influencing
audience behavior in a presentation are provided. Aspects include
receiving presentation data for a presentation on a video
conference, analyzing the presentation data to identifying one or
more behavior cues for a desired social contagion associated with
the presentation, receiving video data for a plurality of audience
members for the presentation, analyzing the video data to
identifying a first audience member displaying at least one of the
one or more behavior cues, and displaying the first audience member
in the video conference for a first length of time.
Inventors: |
Harpur; Liam S.; (Dublin,
IE) ; Ward; Brett; (Raleigh, NC) ; Delaney;
Mark; (Raleigh, NC) ; Grant; Robert H.;
(Atlanta, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
69946813 |
Appl. No.: |
16/144112 |
Filed: |
September 27, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 12/1831 20130101;
H04L 12/1822 20130101; H04N 7/15 20130101; H04N 7/155 20130101;
G06K 9/00302 20130101; G06K 9/00744 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/15 20060101
H04N007/15; H04L 12/18 20060101 H04L012/18; G06K 9/00 20060101
G06K009/00 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for influencing audience behavior
in a presentation, the method comprising: receiving presentation
data associated with a presentation over a video conference,
wherein the presentation data comprises visual and audio content
associated with the presentation, and wherein the presentation data
further comprises audio data associated with a presenter associated
with the presentation; analyzing the visual and audio content to
determine a desired social contagion, wherein determining the
desired social contagion comprises: determining the desired social
contagion based on a feature vector, generated by a machine
learning model, comprising a plurality of features extracted from
the audio data; retrieving behavior cue data comprising a plurality
of behavior cues; and comparing the desired social contagion to the
behavior cue data to select the one or more behavior cues for the
desired social contagion; determining one or more behavior cues
that elicit the desired social contagion; receiving video data for
a plurality of audience members for the presentation; analyzing the
video data to identifying a first audience member displaying at
least one of the one or more behavior cues; displaying the first
audience member in the video conference for a first length of
time.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
collecting additional video data for the plurality of audience
members for the presentation during the first length of time;
analyzing the additional video data to determine that the desired
social contagion associated with the presentation is being
displayed by a second audience member in the plurality of audience
members; and displaying the second audience member for a second
period of time.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
analyzing video data of the first audience member during the first
length of time; and ceasing displaying the first audience member in
the video conference based on determining the first audience member
is not displaying at least one of the one or more behavior
cues.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving historical data associated with the plurality of audience
members; analyze the historical data to determine a probability for
a third audience member in the plurality of audience members to
exhibit the one or more behavior cues; and displaying the third
audience member in the video conference for a third length of time
based at least in part on the probability exceeding a threshold
probability.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:
monitoring video data of the third audience member during the third
length of time to determine whether the third audience member
displays the one or more behavior cues; and updating the historical
data based on a determination that the third audience member
displayed at least one of the one or more behavior cues during the
third length of time.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:
updating the historical data based on a determination that the
third audience member did not displayed the one or more behavior
cues during the third length of time.
7. (canceled)
8. A system for influencing audience behavior in a presentation,
the system comprising: a processor coupled to a memory, the
processor configured to: receive presentation data associated with
a presentation over a video conference, wherein the presentation
data comprises visual and audio content associated with the
presentation, and wherein the presentation data further comprises
audio data associated with a presenter associated with the
presentation; analyze the visual and audio content to determine a
desired social contagion, wherein determining the desired social
contagion comprises: determining the desired social contagion based
on a feature vector, generated by a machine learning model,
comprising a plurality of features extracted from the audio data;
retrieving behavior cue data comprising a plurality of behavior
cues; and comparing the desired social contagion to the behavior
cue data to select the one or more behavior cues for the desired
social contagion; determine one or more behavior cues that elicit
the desired social contagion; receive video data for a plurality of
audience members for the presentation; analyze the video data to
identifying a first audience member displaying at least one of the
one or more behavior cues; display the first audience member in the
video conference for a first length of time.
9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further
configured to: collect additional video data for the plurality of
audience members for the presentation during the first length of
time; analyze the additional video data to determine that the
desired social contagion associated with the presentation is being
displayed by a second audience member in the plurality of audience
members; and display the second audience member for a second period
of time.
10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further
configured to: analyze video data of the first audience member
during the first length of time; and cease displaying the first
audience member in the video conference based on determining the
first audience member is not displaying at least one of the one or
more behavior cues.
11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further
configured to: receive historical data associated with the
plurality of audience members; analyze the historical data to
determine a probability for a third audience member in the
plurality of audience members to exhibit the one or more behavior
cues; and display the third audience member in the video conference
for a third length of time based at least in part on the
probability exceeding a threshold probability;
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further
configured to: monitor video data of the third audience member
during the third length of time to determine whether the third
audience member displays the one or more behavior cues; and update
the historical data based on a determination that the third
audience member displayed at least one of the one or more behavior
cues during the third length of time.
13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further
configured to: update the historical data based on a determination
that the third audience member did not displayed the one or more
behavior cues during the third length of time.
14. (canceled)
15. A computer program product for influencing audience behavior in
a presentation the computer program product comprising a computer
readable storage medium having program instructions embodied
therewith, wherein the computer readable storage medium is not a
transitory signal per se, the program instructions executable by a
processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:
receiving presentation data associated with a presentation over a
video conference, wherein the presentation data comprises visual
and audio content associated with the presentation, and wherein the
presentation data further comprises audio data associated with a
presenter associated with the presentation; analyzing the visual
and audio content to determine a desired social contagion, wherein
determining the desired social contagion comprises: determining the
desired social contagion based on a feature vector, generated by a
machine learning model, comprising a plurality of features
extracted from the audio data; retrieving behavior cue data
comprising a plurality of behavior cues; and comparing the desired
social contagion to the behavior cue data to select the one or more
behavior cues for the desired social contagion; determining one or
more behavior cues that elicit the desired social contagion;
receiving video data for a plurality of audience members for the
presentation; analyzing the video data to identifying a first
audience member displaying at least one of the one or more behavior
cues; displaying the first audience member in the video conference
for a first length of time.
16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
collecting additional video data for the plurality of audience
members for the presentation during the first length of time;
analyzing the additional video data to determine that the desired
social contagion associated with the presentation is being
displayed by a second audience member in the plurality of audience
members; and displaying the second audience member for a second
period of time.
17. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
analyzing video data of the first audience member during the first
length of time; and ceasing displaying the first audience member in
the video conference based on determining the first audience member
is not displaying at least one of the one or more behavior
cues.
18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving historical data associated with the plurality of audience
members; analyze the historical data to determine a probability for
a third audience member in the plurality of audience members to
exhibit the one or more behavior cues; and displaying the third
audience member in the video conference for a third length of time
based at least in part on the probability exceeding a threshold
probability.
19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:
monitoring video data of the third audience member during the third
length of time to determine whether the third audience member
displays the one or more behavior cues; and updating the historical
data based on a determination that the third audience member
displayed at least one of the one or more behavior cues during the
third length of time.
20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:
updating the historical data based on a determination that the
third audience member did not displayed the one or more behavior
cues during the third length of time.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention generally relates to collaborative
tools, and more specifically, to behavioral influence system in
socially collaborative tools.
[0002] Business interactions today between remote users are often
being dominated by software tools aimed at social collaboration.
Often, these remote users may inadvertently be displayed as the
focus of the collaboration based on an errant sound or noise in the
background which brings the user to the focus of the screen.
Keeping the sentiment and mood of a presentation consistent with
the topics of the presentation can be challenging when certain
users are exhibiting conflicting behavior cues. For example, during
a sales pitch to a customer, displaying a user that appears bored
or is yawning can be detrimental to the sales pitch when utilizing
these socially collaborative tools especially if they are
prominently displayed within the socially collaborative tool such
as a web conference.
SUMMARY
[0003] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a
computer-implemented method for influencing audience behavior in a
presentation. A non-limiting example of the computer-implemented
method includes receiving presentation data for a presentation on a
video conference, analyzing the presentation data to identifying
one or more behavior cues for a desired social contagion associated
with the presentation, receiving video data for a plurality of
audience members for the presentation, analyzing the video data to
identifying a first audience member displaying at least one of the
one or more behavior cues, and displaying the first audience member
in the video conference for a first length of time.
[0004] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a
system for influencing audience behavior in a presentation. A
non-limiting example of the system includes a processor coupled to
a memory, the processor configured to perform receiving
presentation data for a presentation on a video conference,
analyzing the presentation data to identifying one or more behavior
cues for a desired social contagion associated with the
presentation, receiving video data for a plurality of audience
members for the presentation, analyzing the video data to
identifying a first audience member displaying at least one of the
one or more behavior cues, and displaying the first audience member
in the video conference for a first length of time.
[0005] Embodiments of the invention are directed to a computer
program product for influencing audience behavior in a
presentation, the computer program product comprising a computer
readable storage medium having program instructions embodied
therewith. The program instructions are executable by a processor
to cause the processor to perform a method. A non-limiting example
of the method receiving presentation data for a presentation on a
video conference, analyzing the presentation data to identifying
one or more behavior cues for a desired social contagion associated
with the presentation, receiving video data for a plurality of
audience members for the presentation, analyzing the video data to
identifying a first audience member displaying at least one of the
one or more behavior cues, and displaying the first audience member
in the video conference for a first length of time.
[0006] Additional technical features and benefits are realized
through the techniques of the present invention. Embodiments and
aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are
considered a part of the claimed subject matter. For a better
understanding, refer to the detailed description and to the
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The specifics of the exclusive rights described herein are
particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at
the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other
features and advantages of the embodiments of the invention are
apparent from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing environment according to
one or more embodiments of the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 depicts abstraction model layers according to one or
more embodiments of the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a computer system for use
in implementing one or more embodiments of the present
invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of a system for influencing
audience behavior in a presentation according to one or more
embodiments of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 depicts a diagram of an exemplary collaborative tool
according to one or more embodiments of the invention; and
[0013] FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of a method for influencing
audience behavior in a presentation according to one or more
embodiments of the invention.
[0014] The diagrams depicted herein are illustrative. There can be
many variations to the diagram or the operations described therein
without departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance,
the actions can be performed in a differing order or actions can be
added, deleted or modified. Also, the term "coupled" and variations
thereof describes having a communications path between two elements
and does not imply a direct connection between the elements with no
intervening elements/connections between them. All of these
variations are considered a part of the specification.
[0015] In the accompanying figures and following detailed
description of the disclosed embodiments, the various elements
illustrated in the figures are provided with two or three digit
reference numbers. With minor exceptions, the leftmost digit(s) of
each reference number correspond to the figure in which its element
is first illustrated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Various embodiments of the invention are described herein
with reference to the related drawings. Alternative embodiments of
the invention can be devised without departing from the scope of
this invention. Various connections and positional relationships
(e.g., over, below, adjacent, etc.) are set forth between elements
in the following description and in the drawings. These connections
and/or positional relationships, unless specified otherwise, can be
direct or indirect, and the present invention is not intended to be
limiting in this respect. Accordingly, a coupling of entities can
refer to either a direct or an indirect coupling, and a positional
relationship between entities can be a direct or indirect
positional relationship. Moreover, the various tasks and process
steps described herein can be incorporated into a more
comprehensive procedure or process having additional steps or
functionality not described in detail herein.
[0017] The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used
for the interpretation of the claims and the specification. As used
herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes,"
"including," "has," "having," "contains" or "containing," or any
other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive
inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method,
article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not
necessarily limited to only those elements but can include other
elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition,
mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.
[0018] Additionally, the term "exemplary" is used herein to mean
"serving as an example, instance or illustration." Any embodiment
or design described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be
construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or
designs. The terms "at least one" and "one or more" may be
understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to
one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms "a plurality" may
be understood to include any integer number greater than or equal
to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term "connection" may
include both an indirect "connection" and a direct
"connection."
[0019] The terms "about," "substantially," "approximately," and
variations thereof, are intended to include the degree of error
associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon
the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For
example, "about" can include a range of .+-.8% or 5%, or 2% of a
given value.
[0020] For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to
making and using aspects of the invention may or may not be
described in detail herein. In particular, various aspects of
computing systems and specific computer programs to implement the
various technical features described herein are well known.
Accordingly, in the interest of brevity, many conventional
implementation details are only mentioned briefly herein or are
omitted entirely without providing the well-known system and/or
process details.
[0021] It is to be understood that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0022] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on- demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network
bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications,
virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0023] Characteristics are as follows:
[0024] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0025] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0026] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0027] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0028] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0029] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0030] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0031] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0032] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0033] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0034] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0035] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes.
[0036] Referring now to FIG. 1, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Nodes 10 may communicate with one
another. They may be grouped (not shown) physically or virtually,
in one or more networks, such as Private, Community, Public, or
Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combination thereof.
This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure,
platforms and/or software as services for which a cloud consumer
does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It
is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shown in
FIG. 1 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing
nodes 10 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with
any type of computerized device over any type of network and/or
network addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0037] Referring now to FIG. 2, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 1) is
shown. It should be understood in advance that the components,
layers, and functions shown in FIG. 2 are intended to be
illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited
thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding
functions are provided:
[0038] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include:
mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture
based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65;
and networks and networking components 66. In some embodiments,
software components include network application server software 67
and database software 68.
[0039] Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73,
including virtual private networks; virtual applications and
operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.
[0040] In one example, management layer 80 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides
dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that
are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing
environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as
resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and
billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one
example, these resources may comprise application software
licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud
consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other
resources. User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing
environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level
management 84 provides cloud computing resource allocation and
management such that required service levels are met. Service Level
Agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment 85 provides
pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud computing resources
for which a future requirement is anticipated in accordance with an
SLA.
[0041] Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and
lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93;
data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and
behavior influence in socially collaborative tools 96.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown an embodiment of a
processing system 300 for implementing the teachings herein. In
this embodiment, the system 300 has one or more central processing
units (processors) 21a, 21b, 21c, etc. (collectively or generically
referred to as processor(s) 21). In one or more embodiments, each
processor 21 may include a reduced instruction set computer (RISC)
microprocessor. Processors 21 are coupled to system memory 34 and
various other components via a system bus 33. Read only memory
(ROM) 22 is coupled to the system bus 33 and may include a basic
input/output system (BIOS), which controls certain basic functions
of system 300.
[0043] FIG. 3 further depicts an input/output (I/O) adapter 27 and
a network adapter 26 coupled to the system bus 33. I/O adapter 27
may be a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapter that
communicates with a hard disk 23 and/or tape storage drive 25 or
any other similar component. I/O adapter 27, hard disk 23, and tape
storage device 25 are collectively referred to herein as mass
storage 24. Operating system 40 for execution on the processing
system 300 may be stored in mass storage 24. A network adapter 26
interconnects bus 33 with an outside network 36 enabling data
processing system 300 to communicate with other such systems. A
screen (e.g., a display monitor) 35 is connected to system bus 33
by display adaptor 32, which may include a graphics adapter to
improve the performance of graphics intensive applications and a
video controller. In one embodiment, adapters 27, 26, and 32 may be
connected to one or more I/O busses that are connected to system
bus 33 via an intermediate bus bridge (not shown). Suitable I/O
buses for connecting peripheral devices such as hard disk
controllers, network adapters, and graphics adapters typically
include common protocols, such as the Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI). Additional input/output devices are shown as
connected to system bus 33 via user interface adapter 28 and
display adapter 32. A keyboard 29, mouse 30, and speaker 31 all
interconnected to bus 33 via user interface adapter 28, which may
include, for example, a Super I/O chip integrating multiple device
adapters into a single integrated circuit.
[0044] In exemplary embodiments, the processing system 300 includes
a graphics processing unit 41. Graphics processing unit 41 is a
specialized electronic circuit designed to manipulate and alter
memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer
intended for output to a display. In general, graphics processing
unit 41 is very efficient at manipulating computer graphics and
image processing and has a highly parallel structure that makes it
more effective than general-purpose CPUs for algorithms where
processing of large blocks of data is done in parallel.
[0045] Thus, as configured in FIG. 3, the system 300 includes
processing capability in the form of processors 21, storage
capability including system memory 34 and mass storage 24, input
means such as keyboard 29 and mouse 30, and output capability
including speaker 31 and display 35. In one embodiment, a portion
of system memory 34 and mass storage 24 collectively store an
operating system coordinate the functions of the various components
shown in FIG. 3.
[0046] Turning now to an overview of technologies that are more
specifically relevant to aspects of the invention, business
interactions today with a multiple remotely located employees are
increasingly utilizing social collaboration tools and video
conferencing applications. Currently, these tools passively display
all the users without any processing to determine how or what to
display to other users beyond audio recognition to detect an active
speaker. That is to say, these collaborative technologies merely
listen for an audio source and display the remote user associated
with the audio on the conference display without taking into
consideration any social interactions between all the users.
[0047] Social interactions have an element of behavioral contagion
where a specific gesture and/or expression such as a smile can have
an "infectious" effect within the group of remote users on a video
conference. This infectious effect can cause other users to mirror
the gesture and/or expression.
[0048] Turning now to an overview of the aspects of the invention,
one or more embodiments of the invention address the
above-described shortcomings of the prior art by providing a system
and process that influences the mood and behavior of multiple
participants in a social/collaborative tool. Embodiments of the
invention include a system that analyzes participants that are
using a socially collaborative tool such as a video or web
conference. During the conference, the system selects individuals
to display to specific users with the greatest probability of
propagating the desired social behaviors for the mood and context
of the conference.
[0049] Turning now to a more detailed description of aspects of the
present invention, FIG. 4 depicts a system for influencing audience
behavior in a presentation according to embodiments of the
invention. The system 400 includes a behavior analytics engine 402,
a natural language processing (NLP) engine 404, and a historical
audience behavior database 412. The behavior analytics engine 402
is operable to receive both a presentation feed 406 and an audience
feed 408. The feeds, in this instance, refers to both audio and
video data collected by a microphone and camera for the current
presenter (speaker) and for each of the audience members for the
presentation. In embodiments of the invention, the term
"presentation" can include any collaboration between two or more
individuals either local to each other or remote to each other. For
example, a presentation can include a video conference between
remotely located users utilizing computing devices to communicate
with each other through the use of a microphone and video that can
display images on the user's computing device (e.g., computer,
phone, laptop, tablet, etc.) such as, for example, a presentation
slide and/or images or video of the current speaker or other users
during the presentation.
[0050] In one or more embodiments of the invention, the behavior
analytics engine 402 can analyze the presentation feed 406 to
identifying a mood or sentiment for the presentation. The behavior
analytics engine 402 can access behavior cue data that can be
stored on a database that can assist with mapping the sentiment or
mood for the presentation to one or more behavior cues that would
propagate this desired sentiment or mood. This can be done by
correlating certain words utilized in the presentation of different
behavior cues. For example, the word "boring" can be associated at
a high value with the behavior cue of yawning. In a business
meeting, when discussing a competitors product, the speaker may
state that a competitor's product has a "user interface that is
boring and old." The word "boring" can be extracted using the NLP
engine 404 and analyzed by the behavior analytics engine 402 to
determine that the desired behavior cue that would propagate
through the audience is a person yawning. Soon after the speaker's
statement, an audience member displaying the behavior cue (e.g.,
yawning) can be selected for display on the conference screen by
the conference display management module 410 during the
presentation for a length of time. In addition, the other audience
members' response to this behavior cue can be captured in the
audience feed by the behavior analytics engine. This model could be
trained against multiple crowds to establish training data or
identify subtle behaviors e.g. a suppressed yawn may not be
immediately identifiable but could be established alongside more
easily identified yawns. This could then be used in future use
cases where only stifled or suppressed yawns are found.
Additionally, thresholds can be used to more or less aggressively
propagate the behavior e.g. if the crowd does not respond to a
subtle yawn, only show fully visual yawns.
[0051] The NLP engine 404 can perform natural language processing
(NLP) analysis techniques on the audio of the presentation feed
406. NLP is utilized to derive meaning from natural language. A
speech to text (STT) module can translate the audio data of the
presentation to text for processing by the NLP engine 404. The NLP
engine 404 can analyze the presentation audio by parsing,
syntactical analysis, morphological analysis, and other processes
including statistical modeling and statistical analysis. The type
of NLP analysis can vary by language and other considerations. The
NLP analysis is utilized to generate a first set of NLP structures
and/or features which can be utilized by a computer to identify and
generate certain keywords indicative of a mood or sentiment of the
presentation. These NLP structures include a translation and/or
interpretation of the natural language input, including synonymous
variants thereof.
[0052] A sentiment analysis module and a tonal analysis module can
be utilized by the behavior analytics engine 402 and the NLP engine
404 to determine a sentiment or mood during the presentation from
the presentation feed 406 data. Any cognitive AI can be utilized
within the sentiment analysis module. The sentiment analysis module
can process natural language to incorporate both a linguistic and
statistical analysis in evaluating the context of a communication.
In text analysis, the sentiment is the attitude or opinion
expressed toward something. Sentiment can be positive, "sounds
good", negative, "this is bad", or neutral. Sentiment can be
calculated based on keywords extracted and evaluated at a keyword
level. Additionally, the sentiment analysis may be capable of
identifying negations, such as the term "not" and the change in
sentiment from the keyword "good" when the phrase is "not" "good".
The sentiment analysis may consider intensity when the terms "very"
or other adjectives are utilized in combination with a keyword.
Additionally, the keywords may be weighted. For instance, a
positive phrase such as "like" will have a predefined positive
weight, whereas the phrase "love" might have a higher predefined
positive weight. Additionally, negative weights may be afforded
negative phrases such as "dislike" would have a predefined negative
weight and the phrase "hate" might have a higher negative weight.
The sentiment analysis module can evaluate the content to provide a
sentiment level. This sentiment level may also include an intensity
value.
[0053] A tonal analysis module can use linguistic analysis to
detect three types of tones from the text. The natural language
content is analyzed by the tonal analysis module for determining
the emotional impact, social tone, and writing style that the
content projects. The tonal analysis module may provide tonal
scores for emotional tone, social tone, and language tone. For
emotional tone, the tonal analysis module may utilize the emotions
for "joy", "fear", "sadness", "disgust" and "anger". Each natural
language element is evaluated with respect to each emotion. Each
emotion may be evaluated from lower values having a value range
that indicates if that emotion is less likely to appear as
perceived or alternatively to a higher value range if the emotion
is more likely to be perceived with respect to each natural
language content. Other emotions may be utilized as well as a
different value score.
[0054] For social tone, the five elements of openness,
conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional range
are utilized. Openness is evaluated as the extent a person is open
to experience a variety of activities. This trait may be provided a
value range indicating that it is more likely to be perceived as
no-nonsense, straightforward, blunt and obvious, alternatively, a
higher value range may be provided if the content indicates that it
will be perceived as intellectual, curious, emotionally-aware, or
imaginative. Conscientiousness is evaluated as the tendency to act
in an organized or thoughtful way. This trait may be provided a
value range if the presentation is perceived as spontaneous,
laid-back, reckless, unmethodical or disorganized, or
alternatively, a higher value range may be provided if the content
is perceived as disciplined, dutiful, or confident. Extraversion is
evaluated as the tendency to seek stimulation in the company of
others. This trait may be provided a value range if perceived as
independent, timid, introverted, restrained, boring, or
alternatively, a higher value range may be provided if the content
is perceived as engaging, seeking attention, assertive, sociable.
Agreeableness is evaluated as the tendency to be compassionate and
cooperative towards others. This trait may be provided a value
range if the presentation is perceived as selfish, uncaring,
uncooperative, confrontational or arrogant, or alternatively, a
higher value range may be provided if the content is perceived as
caring, sympathetic, cooperative, or trustworthy. The emotional
range is evaluated as the tendency to be sensitive to the
environment. This trait may be provided a value range if the
presentation is perceived as calm, bland, content, relaxed or
alternatively a higher value range may be provided if the content
is perceived as concerned, frustrated angry, passionate, upset,
stressed or impulsive. These tones, descriptions, and weights are
merely illustrative and additional tones, descriptions or weights
may be utilized.
[0055] Language tones may be analyzed to measure the user's writing
style. The various styles may include analytic, confidence and
tentative. The analytic style may focus on the individual's
reasoning and analytical attitude about things. The analytic style
may be provided a value range if the text contains little or no
evidence of analytical tone or alternatively a higher value range
if the presentation is more likely to be perceived as intellectual,
rational, systematic, emotionless, or impersonal. The confidence
style may focus on the presenter's degree of certainty. The
confidence style may be provided a value range if the text contains
little or no evidence of confidence in tone or alternatively a
higher value range if the style is more likely to be perceived as
assured, collected, hopeful or egotistical. The tentative style may
focus on the presenter's degree of inhibition. The tentative style
may be provided a lower value range if the text contains little or
no evidence of tentativeness in tone or a higher value range if the
style is more likely to be perceived as questionable, doubtful
limited, or debatable.
[0056] In one or more embodiments of the invention, the behavior
analytics engine 402 determine a sentiment and mood for the
presentation based on the presentation feed 406 and then select
behavior cues that would affect audience members of the
presentation to propagate that mood or sentiment. The audience feed
408 can be analyzed by the behavior analytics engine 402 utilize
analytic techniques such as facial recognition and expression
recognition to identify one or more audience members that are
expressing one of the behavioral cues and/or have a high likelihood
(probability) of expressing one of the behavior cues in the future.
Audience members that are expressing the behavior cues at the time
can be displayed as the featured image or video during the
presentation by the conference display management module 410 for a
length of time. The length of time can be a pre-determined time
period or can be based on how long the audience member is
expressing the behavior cue. For example, during a customer
presentation, a presenter is presenting the benefits of a
particular product. During this presentation of the benefits, an
audience member begins to smile which is a behavior cue that can
propagate a desired social contagion (e.g., happiness, excitement,
etc.). While this audience member is smiling and also during the
time when the presenter is discussing the benefits of the product,
this audience member is then displayed on the conference display.
The other audience members are being monitored to identify another
audience member that may catch the social contagion (e.g., begins
smiling or begins displaying a different social cue, such as,
nodding yes) and then displays this new audience member for a
length of time or during the time when this new audience member is
exhibiting the behavior cue.
[0057] In one or more embodiments of the invention, the behavior
analytics engine 402 can analyze historical audience behavior
obtained from the historical audience behavior database 412. Based
on the historical audience behavior data, the behavior analytics
engine 402 can determine a probability that a specific audience
member will display a behavior cue during the presentation. If the
probability exceeds a threshold probability (e.g., 50%, 75%), the
conference display management module 410 can display this specific
audience member. In embodiments of the invention, the historic
audience behavior data can be tied to specific keywords extracted
from the presentation feed 406. For example, when discussing a
competitor, the historical data could indicate a certain employee
that has a dissatisfaction with the competitor and might exhibit a
frown which could become socially contagious. This frown could be a
behavior cue that is tied to the mood or sentiment of the
presentation regarding the competitor. Based on this, the employee
could be displayed during this part of the presentation to further
propagate frowning or other behavioural cues associated with the
mood and/or sentiment.
[0058] In embodiments of the invention, the behavior analytics
engine 402, in addition to displaying behavior cues in line with
sentiment and mood of the presentation, can block the displaying of
opposing behavior cues that conflict with the sentiment and mood of
the presentation. For example, in a business presentation
discussing a potential future business opportunity with a customer,
a yawn from a current employee would be vied as unfavorable by the
customer and should be hidden from view during the presentation.
The conference display management module 410 could implement
certain tactics to hide conflicting behavioral cues such as, for
example, blanking any images of the audience member exhibiting the
conflicting behavior cues, zooming out or away from the audience
member exhibiting the conflicting behavior cues, shifting a focus
to a slide of the presentation or to another audience member
exhibiting a desired behavior cue.
[0059] In embodiments of the invention, the behavioral cue data can
be weighted such that certain behavioral cues have stronger
contagious effects. For example, for presentation moods and
sentiment that are happy or energetic, behavior cues can include
smiling, laughing, or other indications of happiness and/or
excitement. A laugh can be weighted higher than smiling and the
behavior analytics engine 402 can utilize a weighted score to
determine which audience member to display when there are more than
one desired behavioral cues being exhibited by multiple audience
members.
[0060] In embodiments of the invention, the engines 402, 404
described herein can also be implemented as so-called classifiers
(described in more detail below). In one or more embodiments of the
invention, the features of the various engines/classifiers (402,
404) described herein can be implemented on the processing system
300 shown in FIG. 3, or can be implemented on a neural network (not
shown). In embodiments of the invention, the features of the
engines/classifiers 402, 404 can be implemented by configuring and
arranging the processing system 300 to execute machine learning
(ML) algorithms. In general, ML algorithms, in effect, extract
features from received data (e.g., inputs to the engines 402, 404)
in order to "classify" the received data. Examples of suitable
classifiers include but are not limited to neural networks
(described in greater detail below), support vector machines
(SVMs), logistic regression, decision trees, hidden Markov Models
(HMMs), etc. The end result of the classifier's operations, i.e.,
the "classification," is to predict a class for the data. The ML
algorithms apply machine learning techniques to the received data
in order to, over time, create/train/update a unique "model." The
learning or training performed by the engines/classifiers 402, 404
can be supervised, unsupervised, or a hybrid that includes aspects
of supervised and unsupervised learning. Supervised learning is
when training data is already available and classified/labeled.
Unsupervised learning is when training data is not
classified/labeled so must be developed through iterations of the
classifier. Unsupervised learning can utilize additional
learning/training methods including, for example, clustering,
anomaly detection, neural networks, deep learning, and the
like.
[0061] In embodiments of the invention where the
engines/classifiers 402, 404 are implemented as neural networks, a
resistive switching device (RSD) can be used as a connection
(synapse) between a pre-neuron and a post-neuron, thus representing
the connection weight in the form of device resistance.
Neuromorphic systems are interconnected processor elements that act
as simulated "neurons" and exchange "messages" between each other
in the form of electronic signals. Similar to the so-called
"plasticity" of synaptic neurotransmitter connections that carry
messages between biological neurons, the connections in
neuromorphic systems such as neural networks carry electronic
messages between simulated neurons, which are provided with numeric
weights that correspond to the strength or weakness of a given
connection. The weights can be adjusted and tuned based on
experience, making neuromorphic systems adaptive to inputs and
capable of learning. For example, a neuromorphic/neural network for
handwriting recognition is defined by a set of input neurons, which
can be activated by the pixels of an input image. After being
weighted and transformed by a function determined by the network's
designer, the activations of these input neurons are then passed to
other downstream neurons, which are often referred to as "hidden"
neurons. This process is repeated until an output neuron is
activated. Thus, the activated output neuron determines (or
"learns") which character was read. Multiple pre-neurons and
post-neurons can be connected through an array of RSD, which
naturally expresses a fully-connected neural network. In the
descriptions here, any functionality ascribed to the system 400 can
be implemented using the processing system 300 applies.
[0062] In embodiments of the invention, the cloud computing system
50 can be in wired or wireless electronic communication with one or
all of the elements of the system 400. Cloud 50 can supplement,
support or replace some or all of the functionality of the elements
of the system 400. Additionally, some or all of the functionality
of the elements of system 400 can be implemented as a node 10
(shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) of cloud 50. Cloud computing node 10 is
only one example of a suitable cloud computing node and is not
intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or
functionality of embodiments of the invention described herein.
[0063] FIG. 5 depicts a diagram of an exemplary collaborative tool
according to one or more embodiments of the invention. The
collaborative tool 500 includes a graphical user interface (GUI)
that can be displayed on a presentation screen or on a display
screen for user such as a computer monitor, smartphone display
screen, and the like. The GUI includes a text feed 502 and a video
feed 504. The text feed 502 can be utilized for presentation,
discussion, and/or questions during a collaborative meeting. The
text feed 502 can be utilized in conjunction with an audio feed for
the collaborative meeting. The video feed 504 can display
presentation materials and can also present audience members of the
collaborative meeting. In the text feed 502, a user 2 is discussing
competitor products and services with a sales target 506. The
behavior analytics engine 402 can utilize this topic to identify
audience members responding with appropriate behavioral cues, such
as yawning, and display the audience members who are yawning 508 in
the video feed 504.
[0064] FIG. 6 depicts a flow diagram of a method for influencing
audience behavior in a presentation according to one or more
embodiments of the invention. The method 600 includes receiving
presentation data for a presentation on a video conference, as
shown at block 602. Then, at block 604, the method 600 includes
analyzing the presentation data to identifying one or more behavior
cues for a desired social contagion associated with the
presentation. The method 600, at block 606, includes receiving
video data for a plurality of audience members for the
presentation. Then, the method 600 includes analyzing the video
data to identifying a first audience member displaying at least one
of the one or more behavior cues, as shown at block 608. And at
block 610, the method 600 includes displaying the first audience
member in the video conference for a first length of time.
[0065] Additional processes may also be included. It should be
understood that the processes depicted in FIG. 6 represent
illustrations, and that other processes may be added or existing
processes may be removed, modified, or rearranged without departing
from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
[0066] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product at any possible technical detail level of
integration. The computer program product may include a computer
readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program
instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects
of the present invention.
[0067] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0068] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0069] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated
circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any
combination of one or more programming languages, including an
object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the
like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C"
programming language or similar programming languages. The computer
readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's
computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software
package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote
computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the
latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's
computer through any type of network, including a local area
network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may
be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet
using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments,
electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic
circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable
logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program
instruction by utilizing state information of the computer readable
program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in
order to perform aspects of the present invention.
[0070] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0071] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0072] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0073] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0074] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used
herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the
embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement
over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of
ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments described
herein.
* * * * *