Thomas Talbot, MD MS FAAP, Principal Medical Expert | USC Institute for Creative Technologies

As gaming and simulations become more immersive due to improved realism and the advent of affordable virtual reality and ubiquitous AI, the need to naturally engage in conversational interactions with virtual human characters is the next new challenge. Verbal interactions can either be thin and informational or simple and command like in nature. If exploited properly, they can also become a rich new gamescape for players.

Dr. Talbot, a physician and expert in virtual human technology in the medical domain, introduces a variety of compelling scenarios and shares how challenging conversations can have compelling gameplay and result in deep, emotionally impactful learning experiences.