A Virtual Counselor for Genetic Risk Communication

Abstract

A pedagogical embodied conversational agent that plays the role of a genetic counselor is being developed to improve individuals’ comprehension of genetic risks related to hereditary cancers. Genetic risk communication is increasingly important for disease prevention and treatment, yet many individuals lack the basic health literacy and numeracy required to understand this information. The virtual genetic counselor will address the challenges in communicating complex genetic risks by dynamically adapting its teaching strategies to an individual’s knowledge state.