SocializeChat: A GPT-Based AAC Tool Grounded in Personal Memories to Support Social Communication

TL;DR

SocializeChat is an innovative AAC tool that uses personal memories and contextual cues to generate tailored conversation suggestions, enhancing social communication for elderly with speech impairments.

Contribution

It introduces a memory-grounded, context-aware GPT-based system that personalizes social interactions, addressing limitations of traditional AAC tools.

Findings

Improves relevance of conversation suggestions

Enhances social engagement for elderly users

Fosters dynamic memory and communication cycle

Abstract

Elderly people with speech impairments often face challenges in engaging in meaningful social communication, particularly when using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools that primarily address basic needs. Moreover, effective chats often rely on personal memories, which is hard to extract and reuse. We introduce SocializeChat, an AAC tool that generates sentence suggestions by drawing on users' personal memory records. By incorporating topic preference and interpersonal closeness, the system reuses past experience and tailors suggestions to different social contexts and conversation partners. SocializeChat not only leverages past experiences to support interaction, but also treats conversations as opportunities to create new memories, fostering a dynamic cycle between memory and communication. A user study shows its potential to enhance the inclusivity and relevance of AAC-supported social interaction.