Introduction

AI & Human Behaviour is a prominent area of research that pertains to artificial intelligence systems which support individuals in voluntarily adapting their behaviour. Such technological support can be relevant in different domains like health, sustainability and justice, e.g., to help people adopt healthier lifestyle patterns, support people in making more sustainable choices, empower people in managing their chronic disease, or support victims of crimes in their healing process.

In this two-day course, we will investigate key components of AI-based behaviour support systems. Key to such technologies is understanding why people do what they do (by learning about their motivations, habits, capabilities and needs), so that the offered support is timely and targeted at a pivotal mechanism. AI-related technologies can contribute to deepening this understanding, e.g., machine learning of observational data to gain insights in behavioural patterns, cognitive models to reason about cognitive aspects such as motivation and self-efficacy, conversational AI such as LLMs and chatbots to engage with people, or VR/AR approaches for training people or for providing visual insight into possible scenarios.

During the course, a number of these technological components will be presented by experts in the field, and students will be invited to work on assignments related to these components. In addition, several examples of applications in the area of health and sustainability will be presented. Finally, we will investigate how to support individuals in their behaviour change trajectory in ways that align with core societal values such as liberty, autonomy, and (social) justice.

Course coordinators

Charlotte Gerritsen (VUA), Michel Klein (VUA)

Location

The course will take place at hotel Landgoed Huize Bergen in Vught, near Den Bosch.

Programme

During day one, we will investigate challenges and solutions around the collection of data in real-life situations, data missing data, and techniques and approaches for the interpretation of human data. Also an example of a large data collection study in the health care domain will be presented. We will close the day with a session on the ethical aspects of behaviour support systems.

During the second day, we will look at different approaches to coaching people, such as conversational agents and interaction based on LLMs. There will also be two presentations about example applications for supporting people in areas of mental health and chronic diseases.

Confirmed speakers are Nele Albers (Tilburg University), Erkan Basar (Radboud University), Maaike de Boer (TNO), Florian Kunneman (Utrecht University) and Marcos Oliveira (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam).

Registration

Registration is now open. Please note that we are currently unable to provide overnight stays at the hotel. However, lunches will be included, as will dinner on day one, so please make sure you notify us of any dietary needs.