Action Representation for Natural Language Interfaces to Agent Systems

In this paper, we outline a framework for the development of natural language interfaces to agent systems, with a focus on action representation. The architecture comprises a natural language parser and case frame based analysis for semantic representation for the linguistic content of the input. The knowledge base, used as core instance of the mapping and interpretation process, features a representation of actions and related objects in a conceptual hierarchy, which is suited to provide a connection to the artificial agent??s repertoire of actions. The framework thus features representations of actions, specifically designed to link linguistic inputs of the human user to the action set of an artificial agent. The framework has been employed in the development of various agent systems and their natural language interfaces, including simulated household robots, an interior design system, a travel planner, a cook, and a remote controlled toy car..