Narrative Generation and Interactive Storytelling

Dr. Mark RiedlResearch ScientistUSC Institute for Creative TechnologiesAbstract:Storytelling is a pervasive part of the human experience; it is a common element in entertainment including modern computer games, it commonly occurs in human-to-human communication, and it is an element found in education and training. Some psychologists believe the pervasiveness of narrative is due to the possibility that the same cognitive processes used to process and generate narrative descriptions are the same as those used in every-day sense-making activities. In this talk, I will describe research into two applications of artificial intelligence to narrative: narrative generation, and interactive narrative. Narrative generation is the problem of computationally creating a narrative from minimal user input. I will describe research efforts into an AI planning-based algorithm for generating narrative sequences. Stories are complicated constructs; the narrative generator I will present reasons about two important criteria for stories: plot coherence - the notion that events in a narrative form causal chains that are relevant to an outcome - and character intentionality - the notion that characters actions in a narrative appear to be intentional and believably motivated. Interactive narrative is a form of interactive entertainment in which a computer system attempts to tell a story in which an interactive user is able to influence the direction and/or outcome of the narrative. I will present a generative approach to interactive narrative that uses automated narrative generation to dynamically adapt the expected narrative structure to accommodate the user's actions without abandoning the goal of delivering a coherent narrative experience. The generative drama management has been applied to entertainment contexts and training and education contexts.Biography:Mark Riedl is a research scientist at the University of Southern California Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT). Mark received a bachelor's degree and MS in Computer Science from North Carolina State University with a minor in Psychology. In 2004, he receive a Ph.D. in Computer Science from North Carolina State University for his work in artificial intelligence techniques for generating stories with recognizable plot structures and character fidelity. Mark joined the ICT in 2004, applying his work in narrative generation to create interactive narrative experiences for leadership training. In addition to his work on interactive narrative, Mark is also working on projects for intelligent, adaptive opponents in training simulations, automated scenario authoring, and intelligent virtual camera control for Machinima generation. Mark has numerous academic publications on narrative generation, interactive narrative, and other computer game AI related topics. In 2006, he received best paper awards at the 15th Conference on Behavior Representation in Modeling and Simulation and the 3rd International Conference on Technologies for Interactive Digital Storytelling and Entertainment.Host: Rajiv MaheswaranSnacks will be provided.

Location: Seaver Science Library (SSL) - 150

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Nancy Levien