Building a Socialbot with Common Sense: How LLMs and Reasoning Combine
A Reliable Common-Sense Reasoning Socialbot Built Using LLMs and Goal-Directed ASP
By
Yankai Zeng|Abhiramon Rajashekharan|Kinjal Basu|Huaduo Wang|Joaquín Arias|Gopal Gupta

https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.18498v1
Summary
Imagine a chatbot that not only engages in flowing conversations but also understands the nuances of human interaction, remembers your preferences, and even offers insightful recommendations. This isn't science fiction; it's the reality of AutoCompanion, a new socialbot built by researchers that combines the strengths of large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 with the logical reasoning power of Answer Set Programming (ASP). LLMs excel at generating human-like text, but they often struggle with consistency, factual accuracy, and staying on topic. AutoCompanion addresses these shortcomings by using LLMs for natural language processing—translating user input into a structured format that a computer can understand—and then employs ASP to reason over this knowledge. Think of it like this: the LLM is the smooth-talking social butterfly, while the ASP is the meticulous planner behind the scenes, ensuring the conversation stays engaging, coherent, and factually grounded. AutoCompanion's knowledge base spans movies, books, and notable figures, allowing it to discuss plot points, character analysis, and even recommend relevant titles based on user preferences. The ASP engine acts as a topic controller, strategically shifting the conversation based on shared properties between topics. For example, mentioning Leonardo DiCaprio in "Titanic" might lead to a discussion about "Catch Me If You Can." Furthermore, AutoCompanion accurately answers questions by querying its knowledge base and honestly admits when it doesn't know something, avoiding the "hallucinations" that often plague LLMs. This innovative approach allows AutoCompanion to achieve greater reliability, scalability, and controllability than LLM-only socialbots. What makes AutoCompanion truly stand out is its ability to mimic the human thought process during conversation. It considers user preferences, maintains consistency in opinions, and dynamically adjusts its responses to keep the conversation flowing naturally.While still under development, AutoCompanion demonstrates the potential of combining LLMs with symbolic reasoning systems like ASP. Future work aims to expand the knowledge base, enhance multi-modality by incorporating images and voice interactions, and most importantly, deploy AutoCompanion on online platforms to gather user feedback. This technology promises not only more engaging and reliable socialbots but also a deeper understanding of how we can use AI to augment human communication and connection.
🍰 Interesting in building your own agents?
PromptLayer provides the tools to manage and monitor prompts with your whole team.
Get started for free.Question & Answers
How does AutoCompanion combine LLMs and Answer Set Programming (ASP) to improve conversation quality?
AutoCompanion uses a two-tier architecture where LLMs handle natural language processing while ASP manages logical reasoning and knowledge control. The LLM first translates user input into structured data that computers can process. Then, the ASP engine acts as a topic controller, using logical rules to maintain conversation coherence and factual accuracy by querying its knowledge base. For example, when discussing movies, the ASP engine can strategically guide the conversation by identifying related topics or actors, like connecting 'Titanic' to 'Catch Me If You Can' through Leonardo DiCaprio, while the LLM ensures the responses sound natural and engaging.
What are the main benefits of AI-powered socialbots for everyday communication?
AI-powered socialbots offer several advantages for daily communication. They can provide 24/7 availability for conversation, remember user preferences and past interactions, and offer personalized recommendations based on individual interests. These bots can help reduce social isolation, assist with language learning, and provide companionship for elderly or isolated individuals. For businesses, they can handle customer service inquiries, provide product recommendations, and maintain consistent engagement with customers. The key advantage is their ability to combine human-like conversation with reliable information delivery and personalized interaction.
How are AI chatbots transforming the future of digital communication?
AI chatbots are revolutionizing digital communication by creating more natural, context-aware, and personalized interactions. They're evolving from simple query-response systems to sophisticated companions that can maintain engaging conversations, remember user preferences, and provide meaningful recommendations. This transformation is particularly valuable in customer service, education, and mental health support. The integration of advanced technologies like LLMs and reasoning systems ensures more reliable and coherent conversations, making these bots increasingly valuable for both personal and professional applications. The future points toward multi-modal interactions incorporating voice, images, and text.
.png)
PromptLayer Features
- Workflow Management
- AutoCompanion's hybrid architecture of LLM and ASP components requires careful orchestration of multiple processing steps and knowledge base interactions
Implementation Details
Create workflow templates that coordinate LLM processing, ASP reasoning, and knowledge base queries with version tracking for each component
Key Benefits
• Reproducible conversation flows across system updates
• Traceable decision-making process
• Easier debugging and optimization
Potential Improvements
• Add dynamic workflow adjustment based on performance metrics
• Implement parallel processing for faster response times
• Create specialized templates for different conversation domains
Business Value
.svg)
Efficiency Gains
50% faster deployment of conversation flow updates
.svg)
Cost Savings
30% reduction in development time through reusable templates
.svg)
Quality Improvement
90% more consistent conversation handling across different topics
- Analytics
- Testing & Evaluation
- AutoCompanion requires extensive testing to ensure factual accuracy and conversation coherence across different topics and user interactions
Implementation Details
Set up automated testing pipelines for conversation flows, fact-checking, and topic transition logic
Key Benefits
• Systematic evaluation of conversation quality
• Early detection of reasoning errors
• Continuous improvement of topic control
Potential Improvements
• Implement user feedback integration
• Add sentiment analysis metrics
• Develop conversation flow visualization tools
Business Value
.svg)
Efficiency Gains
75% faster issue detection and resolution
.svg)
Cost Savings
40% reduction in manual testing effort
.svg)
Quality Improvement
85% increase in conversation accuracy and relevance