XR+AI for Empathy Training (XAI4ET)

Research Problem

There is currently significant discourse regarding the potential benefits, and harm, from the convergence of enabling technologies including XR (Extended Reality) and AI (artificial intelligence) in various domains such as education, healthcare, law enforcement. digital transformation. In the post-COVID-19 and AI era, human-human and human-technology interaction has brought the values of civility, empathy and compassion back into public discourse. In particular, burnout, mental health and overall well-being have become more prevalent concerns. Empathy has been singled out as a key quality in successful crisis management. Healthcare and law enforcement are two domains where empathy plays a central role in life-or-death situations that can also be unpredictable and emotionally charged.

XAI4ET Vision

This SRI grant will lay the foundation for a research center on Empathy Training using XR+AI. Empathy has been identified as a key attribute in high-intensity community service provision, particularly in the context of deep social and cultural diversity. The project will scope the potentials of XR and AI technologies to support education and training for empathic communication. The combination of technologies we propose to explore are of wide applicability. However, in our initial work we will focus on two critical areas: healthcare and law enforcement.

Larger Impact

Our vision for the Center for Empathic Training using XR+AI is part think-tank, part design studio and part R&D laboratory that tackles the important societal challenges such as social connectedness in cyberhuman systems, empathy in critical situations and non-critical decision-making, and provides innovative and tested usable/scalable solutions. We will begin our work focusing on healthcare and law enforcement domains and will expand into other domains as we build critical mass. Partnerships with healthcare institutions and health management agencies, as well as local police and law enforcement training institutes, will be formed to prepare for future collaborations on grant proposals and the co-development and deployment of innovative technologies in the marketplace.