Interactive and Conversational Data Exploration
Example embodiments are disclosed where a narrative generation platform is integrated with a conversational interface such as a Chatbot to support interactive and dynamic narrative generation in response to speech inputs from users. Such a system can be further integrated with a visualization platform to allow the speech input through the conversational interface to interactively and dynamically focus and control visualizations and/or narratives that accompany the visualizations.
1 . A system comprising:
a processor configured to interactively generate a series of unfolding natural language narrative responses to a plurality of natural language inputs that form an interactive dialog relating to a data set comprising structured numeric data, wherein each natural language input has a corresponding natural language narrative response;
wherein the processor is further configured to generate each of a plurality of the corresponding natural language narrative responses by (1) receiving data derived from the natural language input for the corresponding natural language narrative response, (2) based on the received data, parameterize a narrative analytics model relevant to a communication goal indicated by the natural language input, (3) execute the parameterized narrative analytics model with respect to the data set to determine content about the data set for the corresponding natural language narrative response, and (4) generate the corresponding natural language narrative response based on the determined content so that the corresponding natural language narrative response addresses the communication goal indicated by the natural language input and expresses the determined content in natural language.
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is part of a narrative generation artificial intelligence platform, the system further comprising:
a natural language conversational interface for cooperation with the narrative generation artificial intelligence platform, wherein the natural language conversational interface is configured to (1) receive the natural language inputs from the user, (2) determine commands for the narrative generation artificial intelligence platform based on the received natural language inputs, and (3) interface with the narrative generation artificial intelligence platform to (i) provide the determined commands to the narrative generation artificial intelligence platform, wherein the provided commands serve as the received data, and (ii) receive the natural language narrative responses from the narrative generation artificial intelligence platform for sequential presentation to the user as part of the interactive dialog.
3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the determined content includes a characterization of the data set derived from execution of at least one of the parameterized narrative analytics models.
4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the communication goals addressed by the natural language narrative responses include a communication goal to track a performance of an entity.
5 . The system of claim 1 wherein the communication goals addressed by the natural language narrative responses include a communication goal to evaluate a performance of an entity.
6 . The system of claim 1 wherein the communication goals addressed by the natural language narrative responses include a communication goal to explain a performance of an entity.
7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the data set comprises visualization parameter data.
8 . The system of claim 7 wherein the natural language inputs include a request to focus on an aspect of a visualization derived from the visualization parameter data.
9 . The system of claim 1 wherein the received data comprises a plurality of commands derived from the natural language inputs.
10 . The system of claim 9 wherein the commands include a focus task.
11 . The system of claim 9 wherein the commands include a drill down task.
12 . The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of the commands includes a specification of an entity.
13 . The system of claim 12 wherein the entity comprises a specific entity identified in at least one of the natural language inputs.
14 . The system of claim 12 wherein the entity comprises a notional entity that is notionally identified in at least one of the natural language inputs.
15 . The system of claim 14 wherein at least one of the narrative analytics models is parameterized based on the specification of the notional entity; and
wherein the processor is further configured to determine a specific entity to which the notional entity refers based on an analysis of the data set using the at least one narrative analytics model that is parameterized based on the specification of the notional entity; and
wherein at least one of the natural language narrative responses refers to the determined specific entity.
16 . The system of claim 15 wherein the determined specific entity comprises a plurality of specific entities to which the notional entity refers.
17 . The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to determine a natural language expression for referring to the determined specific entity in at least one of the natural language narrative responses.
18 . The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of the natural language inputs comprises speech input.
19 . The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the natural language narrative responses comprises speech output.
20 . The system of claim 1 wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors.