Creating a computer that can perform casual conversation

Although it has now become relatively common for people to use dialogue systems on their smartphones, it is still difficult for the systems to perform casual conversation. Advances in open domain natural language processing are crucial in order for these systems to cope with a wide variety of topics observed in casual conversation. In this talk, I introduce current topics related to open domain natural language processing, with a focus on NTT's casual conversation system that is now able to perform casual conversation with users to some extent. I also touch upon the application of open domain natural language processing technologies to commercial systems.