EMNLP Research: Agents Should Model Users, Not Just Tasks

shangbinfeng · x · 2026-08-29

This work explores "User-Centric Agents," arguing that since the goal of an Agent is to serve people, we should move beyond modeling tasks to modeling users. While current systems assume clear and stable user goals, real human interaction is often underspecified with preferences emerging gradually. A truly user-centric Agent must solve three deeper problems: understanding needs through complex interaction, learning better interaction strategies, and accounting for latent factors like beliefs and intentions.

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