Abstract: A computer-implemented method comprising: obtaining, by way of an input, input data relating to speech provided by a user; deriving one or more hypotheses for each of a plurality of user data fields from the input data; obtaining one or more reference values for each of the plurality of user data fields for each of one or more candidate users; calculating a score for at least one candidate user of the one or more candidate users, calculating the score comprising: calculating a plurality of user data field scores comprising, for each of the plurality of user data fields, a respective user data field score using the one or more hypotheses and the one or more reference values for the candidate user for the respective user data field; performing one or more fuzzy logic operations on the plurality of user data field scores; using the score for a candidate user of the one or more candidate users to perform a verification or identification process for the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method comprising: obtaining, by way of an input, input data relating to speech provided by a user; deriving one or more hypotheses for each of a plurality of user data fields from the input data; obtaining one or more reference values for each of the plurality of user data fields for each of one or more candidate users; calculating a score for at least one candidate user of the one or more candidate users, calculating the score comprising: calculating a plurality of user data field scores comprising, for each of the plurality of user data fields, a respective user data field score using the one or more hypotheses and the one or more reference values for the candidate user for the respective user data field; performing one or more fuzzy logic operations on the plurality of user data field scores; using the score for a candidate user of the one or more candidate users to perform a verification or identification process for the user.

Abstract: There is provided a dialogue system comprising: an input for obtaining an input signal relating to speech or text input provided by a user; an output for outputting speech or text information specified by a determined dialogue act; and a processor configured to: determine dialogue information from the input signal; determine the dialogue act based on the determined dialogue information, wherein determining the dialogue act comprises: selecting a next state from a plurality of states, wherein each of the plurality of states comprises information specifying a dialogue act and transition information specifying a transition to another state, the transitions defining one or more dialogue pathways, wherein selecting the next state comprises selecting a state which is specified by the transition information in a current state or selecting a state which is specified by a rule in a first set of one or more rules.