Hoque et al. received 10-year-impact award at ACM UbiComp for “MACH: My Automated Conversation coacH”

The paper delved into the rich potentials of vision-based conversational interfaces, aimed at elevating human skills in various aspects – ranging from mastering job interviews and public speaking to assisting individuals with autism. The concept became a source of inspiration for the ‘presenter coach’ feature in Microsoft PowerPoint, which is now utilized by millions daily.

The narrative of designing AI to enhance human capability resonates significantly in today’s context, particularly amid the vibrant debates surrounding AI as a potential existential threat and the subsequent need for stringent regulations.

The authors of this paper include, Ehsan Hoque, Matthieu Courgeon, Jean-Claude Martin, Bilge Mutlu, and Rosalind Picard.

The team was blessed to have a brilliant cohort of undergraduate students who contributed to this work. Sumit Gogia, Michelle Fung, Eunice Lin, Ben Schreck, Nicole Pan, Kristi Tausk, Abra Shen, Tamanna Urmi Shannon Kao, Sigtryggur Kjartansson, Angela Zhang, Anji Ren, and Geza Minh Trung Kovacs — their collective efforts, knowledge, and skills were paramount in shaping this work.

Press release on this work.