{"links":{"self":"http://dataportal.arc.gov.au/NCGP/API/grants/FT250100459"},"data":{"type":"grant-details","id":"FT250100459","attributes":{"code":"FT250100459","administering-organisation":"The University of Melbourne","announcement-administering-organisation":"The University of Melbourne","scheme-name":"ARC Future Fellowships","grant-status":"Active","funding-commencement-year":2025,"years-funded":4,"project-start-date":"2026-03-30","anticipated-end-date":"2030-03-30","grant-summary":"Balancing Autonomy and Control in Interactive Social Agent Design. The project aims to develop a comprehensive framework for designing AI-driven social agents that align with social roles and values. It will create innovative control mechanisms, enabling users to manage and adjust the behaviour of interactive social robots and avatars, as well as robust feedback systems that let users communicate preferences to ensure the agents’ actions are observable and aligned with expectations. By exploring agentic programming and social learning techniques, this research will allow AI agents to adapt to user preferences in real-time. This work will make social robotics technology safer, more adaptable, and accessible for diverse applications, including aged care, education and remote collaboration.","funding-current":1073935.00,"funding-at-announcement":1051000,"investigators-current":[{"title":"A/Prof","firstName":"Wafa","familyName":"Johal","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0001-9118-0454 "}],"investigators-at-announcement":[{"title":"A/Prof","firstName":"Wafa","familyName":"Johal","roleName":"Future Fellowship","roleCode":"FT","isFellowship":true,"orcidIdentifier":"0000-0001-9118-0454 "}],"organisations-current":[{"organisationName":"The University of Melbourne","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"VIC"}],"organisations-at-announcement":[{"organisationName":"The University of Melbourne","roleName":"Administering Organisation","state":"VIC"}],"field-of-research":[{"isPrimary":false,"code":"460202","name":"Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"460205","name":"Intelligent Robotics","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":true,"code":"4608","name":"Human-Centred Computing","type":"FOR20"},{"isPrimary":false,"code":"460810","name":"Social Robotics","type":"FOR20"}],"socio-economic-objective":[{"code":"220403","name":"Artificial Intelligence","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"220407","name":"Human-Computer Interaction","type":"SEO20"},{"code":"241202","name":"Autonomous and Robotic Systems","type":"SEO20"}],"international-collaboration":["Japan","Sweden","United States of America"],"lief-register":[],"achievement-summary":null,"national-interest-test-statement":"AI-driven social surrogates, such as social robots and agents, are increasingly integrated into daily life in sectors such as healthcare, education, and customer service. Despite their technological advancements, these agents often lack alignment with human social roles, values, and user preferences, which can erode trust in users. This project will establish a framework to design adaptable AI surrogates that balance autonomy with user control, empowering non-experts to adjust AI behaviours to reflect their expectations. Through innovative control mechanisms, feedback systems, and social learning, we aim to foster AI agents that respect user-defined boundaries and support a balanced, risk-aware interaction model. This project has many benefits for Australia. Economically, it positions Australia as a leader in the expanding global market for social agents, creating new business opportunities and attracting investment. Socially, it addresses accessibility needs, supports mental well-being by reducing isolation, and promotes inclusivity in remote and underserved communities. Environmentally, AI-enabled remote collaboration reduces carbon emissions through less travel. Project outcomes will be shared as open-source tools with user-friendly guides. Public engagement through events, media, and online platforms will enhance understanding and adoption of safe, human-aligned AI systems across Australian industries and communities."}}}