Abstract: A succession of conversations is facilitated between a user of a device and a non-human companion portrayed on the device, to develop a relationship between the user and the nonhuman companion over a time period that spans the successive conversations. The relationship is developed between the user and the non-human companion to cause a change in a state of the user over the time period. A conversation is facilitated by presenting a segment of speech of the non-human companion to the user and detecting a segment of speech of the user, the segments including a portion of the conversation. At the device, information is received from an intelligent agent about a next segment of speech to be presented to the user, as determined by the intelligent agent based on intelligent processes applied to the segment of speech of the user and to the change in state to be caused.

Abstract: A succession of conversations are facilitated between a user of a device and a non-human companion portrayed on the device, to develop a relationship between the user and the non-human companion over a time period that spans the successive conversations. The relationship is developed between the user and the non-human companion to cause a change in a state of the user over the time period. A conversation is facilitated by presenting a segment of speech of the non-human companion to the user and detecting a segment of speech of the user, the segments including a portion of the conversation. At the device, information is received from an intelligent agent about a next segment of speech to be presented to the user, as determined by the intelligent agent based on intelligent processes applied to the segment of speech of the user and to the change in state to be caused.