Interpersonal skills are crucial in many professions, but the transfer from role-playing to practice often remains limited. The TETRA project AvaTalk by Howest addresses this by digitizing conversation and interpersonal skills training using game technology and artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to create a virtual learning environment with realistic avatars, which can be deployed independently of place and time, and tailored for upskilling and reskilling.
Within this research project, state-of-the-art technologies are applied to build digital humans or realistic avatars, powered by natural language processing. Furthermore, research is conducted into the didactic foundation, various workflows are implemented, and theoretical models are translated into practice to develop a validated approach for conversation and feedback tools. This is based on case studies aligned with the needs of specific sectors. The target audience is involved through user research, and a clear overview of possibilities and costs is provided.
The results of the AvaTalk project can be offered as new training tools for Flemish SMEs active in HR, healthcare, sales, and services. This research builds upon the preliminary research of the pwo-sprint project [SPACE](https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fq%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fdaeresearch.be%2Fspace2%2F%26source%3Dgmail-imap%26ust%3D1706691862000000%26usg%3DAOvVaw30KpZO5MBsoejVCjqmkyyy&data=05%7C02%7Cvicky.vermeulen%40howest.be%7Ca6a849a19c3a46fd959c08dc1ce13f11%7C1%7C0%7C638417004277580557%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ddR%2FhIJM8tGvDIbMfRY45gUuEey%2FRm8DU6ZfWy88Ro4%3D&reserved=0), where a working demo was already tested with students and lecturers from Howest.
