AI Coach: virtual assistant for improving the life of people with ASD

Anffas project in collaboration with UniTrento DISI

 

The goal is to create, thanks to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, a real virtual coach able to support people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in improving adaptation and their autonomy in the various areas of life, with particular regard to communication and interpersonal skills.
The artificial intelligence (AI) system will be developed by the research group led by Giuseppe Riccardi, full professor of Information Processing Systems at DISI and founder of the Signals and Interactive Systems laboratory. The research group has been engaged for years in the analysis of linguistic signals and biosignals and the design of AI systems in the field of medicine and health in Italy, Europe and the USA.

Specifically, the AI ​​Coach project implements a type of so-called blended intervention, which the laboratory has been carrying out for years. Using this approach, a personalized and customizable support is provided, useful both to the person with ASD and to his family and caregivers. The system will be implemented in two versions: one to be used on the caregiver’s mobile device, the other on the person with ASD. The AI ​​coach will support the ASD user in the collection of digital diaries and in the management of situations for which help is needed; the caregivers, on the other hand, will take care of the personalization of the AI ​​Coach intervention. Through the analysis of the information exchanged, “AI Coach” will indicate the progress and significant changes in the behavior/preferences of the person, thus in the effectiveness of the interventions and their reassessment.

This is a very important technological innovation that will open new horizons of support for people with autism spectrum disorder and more generally, in the future, for all people with intellectual disabilities and neurodevelopmental disorders.

The project launch event will take place on Friday 4 June at 10 am on the Zoom platform. For more information visit the Anffas webpage.

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