Dialectical Argumentation Machines

人类用争论来表达不同意见，达成共识，并形成和传达推理。论证理论在人工智能领域得到了广泛应用，为自动推理提供了数学结构，为分布式处理提供了通信协议，为自然语言处理提供了语言模型。然而，一个关键的障碍是如何将专注于抽象数学关系的模型与专注于具体语言关系的模型结合起来。该项目的第一个目标是首次建立一种理论解释，将静态的、单一的论证与动态的、多人的、对话的论证联系起来，并将抽象的数学模型与具体的语言表征联系起来。此外，论证模型主要局限于实验室。我们的目标是将研究成果转化为具有庞大用户基础的合作伙伴的高知名度、大规模部署。这一领域的原型系统已足以向本研究的潜在用户，例如广播领域的用户，展示实际论证系统的独特优势。公众对具有复杂科学和伦理层面的当前问题进行基于论证的探索的需求已得到证实，例如，以程式化的论证辩论形式讨论专题问题的高知名度节目的长期存在和成功就证明了这一点。该项目的第二个目标是将理论发展为可实现的组件，这些组件可以形成应用程序开发的基础，以支持具有原型测试的实际程序。该技术提供的独特优势将允许用户与程序材料进行交互，就好像他们自己是贡献者一样，允许对参数进行探测、测试和扩展，并且模糊程序内和程序后内容之间的区别。互动隐喻从“信息-下一条信息”转变为“问题-答案-回击-挑战……”富结构对用户来说是自然的，并为程序制定者提供了丰富的元数据。最后，在2007年，一个令人兴奋的世界范围内的论证网（www）的愿景被提出，在这个愿景中，诸如那些与实际原型一起工作的系统可以相互作用，既可以相互作用，也可以与其他辩论和论证系统互动，无论是平民主义的还是学术的。以语义网资源的形式表达的论点片段可以交叉引用，允许不同的辩论系统根据辩证游戏捕获的各种对话规则在万维网上导航。为了将这一愿景变为现实，该项目的第三个也是最后一个目标是允许在一个平台上执行任意对话游戏，该平台为人类玩家提供界面，为对话游戏的计算机玩家提供界面和控制。通过这种方式，我们希望利用巨大的市场渠道和广播内部合作提供的高调参考案例。同时，该项目将开发平台技术，以支持其他领域的开发。在项目期间，我们将与苏格兰调解网络在调解工具方面进行合作，与安大略省法院在司法摘要方面进行合作，并与卢加诺大学和格罗宁根大学在法律教育方面进行合作，以确定该技术的利用途径。

Humans use argument to express disagreement, to reach consensus and to both formulate and convey reasoning. The theory of argument has found wide application in artificial intelligence, providing mathematical structures for automated reasoning, communication protocols for distributed processing and linguistic models for natural language processing. A key stumbling block, however, has been joining together models that focus on abstract, mathematical relationships with those that focus on concrete, linguistic relationships. The first objective of this project is to develop for the first time a theoretical account that connects static, monologic argumentwith dynamic, multi-person, dialogic argument and ties together abstract, mathematical models with concrete, linguistic representations.Furthermore,models of argument have been predominantly confined to the lab. Our goal is to translate the research advances into high profile, large scale deployments using partners with enormous user bases. Prototype systems in this area have been sufficient to demonstrate the unique advantages of practical argumentation systems to potential users of this research such as those within the broadcasting domain. There is a demonstrated public demand for argument-based exploration of current issues with complex scientific and ethical dimensions, demonstrated, for example, by the longevity and success of high profile programming featuring topical issues discussed in a stylised argumentative debate format. The second objective of this project is to develop the theory into implemented components that can form a foundation for application development to support actual programmes with prototype testing Unique advantages afforded by the technology will allow users to interact with the programme material as if they were themselves contributors, allowing arguments to be probed, tested and extended, and the distinction between in-programme and post-programme content to be blurred. The interaction metaphor shifts from 'message-then-next-message' to 'question-answer-riposte-challenge...'.The rich structure is natural for users, and provides rich metadata for programme-makers. Finally, in 2007 an exciting vision of the world-wide argumentation web (WWAW) was laid out, in which systems such as those constructed to work alongside practical prototypes could interact, both with each other and with other debate and argumentation systems, both populist and academic.Argument fragments, expressed as resources on the Semantic Web, can cross-refer, allowing different debating systems to navigate the WWAW according to various rules of dialogue captured by dialectical games. To bring this vision of the WWAW into reality, the third and final objective of the project is to allow execution of arbitrary dialogue games on a platform that provides interfaces for human players, and both interfaces and control for computer players of dialogue games. In this way, we want to harness the enormous channel to market and the high-profile reference case that is offered by collaboration within broadcasting. At the same time, the project will be developing platform technology that can support exploitation in other areas. During the project, we will work with the Scottish Mediation Network in the context of mediation tools, with the Ontario courts in the context of judicial summaries, and with the Universities of Lugano and Groningen in the context of legal education to identify exploitation routes for the technology.