SIGSDS: Spoken Interest Group on Spoken Dialogue Systems
Join our SiG-SDS distribution list (sig-sds@list.elra.info) by using the following form: https://list.elra.info/mailman3/postorius/lists/sig-sds.list.elra.info/
2026
WoCHAT workshop accepted at SigDial 2026 (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) on August 2, 2026 (Link to website)
At SIGDIAL 2026, the WOCHAT workshop will bring together researchers and practitioners to explore the latest advances in chatbot technologies and conversational AI. As part of the 27th Meeting of the Special Interest Group on Discourse and Dialogue, the event will take place at Emory University in Atlanta, USA, from August 2–5, 2026, with workshops scheduled on August 2nd.
WOCHAT focuses on key challenges in open-domain and task-oriented dialogue systems, including robustness, evaluation, user engagement, and the integration of large language models into conversational agents. The workshop aims to foster interdisciplinary exchange and promote innovative approaches to building more natural, effective, and human-centered dialogue systems.
We warmly invite submissions of original research, system demonstrations, and position papers related to chatbot development and evaluation. Join us in shaping the future of conversational AI and engaging with a vibrant international research community at SIGDIAL 2026. Deadline: June 1st, 2026 (AoE)
SIGSDS sponsored the organization of the workshop IWSDS2026 in Trento (Italy) on Feb 26 to March 1, 2026. (link to website)
At the IWSDS 2026, held in Trento, Italy, the SiG-SDS showcased a vibrant program within a global forum dedicated to advancing human–machine dialogue and multimodal AI systems. The event attracted 55 submissions, with 42 accepted contributions, including 30 oral presentations and 12 posters, reflecting both strong engagement and high scientific quality. The event brought together 88 participants from a diverse international community spanning Europe, Asia, and North America (Italy, the US, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Qatar, the UK, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, China, France, Spain, and Switzerland).
The program featured three keynote talks by leading experts, including Asli Celikyilmaz (Meta Fundamentals AI Research (FAIR)), Gabriel Skantze (KTH Royal Institute of Technology) and Giulio Jacucci (University of Helsinki), alongside three special sessions that fostered in-depth discussions through interactive panel formats. Excellence was recognized through one Best Paper Award and one Outstanding Paper Award.
Overall, SiG-SDS contributed to a dynamic exchange of ideas, promoting collaboration and innovation in spoken dialogue systems and reinforcing the workshop’s mission to advance human-centered conversational AI research.
Proceedings available at ACL Anthology (link)
2025
SIGSDS sponsored the organization of the workshop IWSDS2025 in Bilbao (Spain) on May 27-30, 2025. (link to the website)
At IWSDS 2025, the SiG-SDS contributed to a vibrant international forum dedicated to advancing research in spoken dialogue systems and conversational AI. The conference focused on key topics such as multimodal interaction, human-centered AI, large language models in dialogue systems, and real-world applications across domains including healthcare, industry, and immersive environments.
The workshop received a total of 45 submissions, each carefully reviewed by at least three members of the Program Committee, ensuring a high standard of scientific quality. Of these, 37 papers were accepted and presented across multiple tracks: 26 in the General Track, 5 demo papers showcasing working systems, 4 contributions in the Industrial Track highlighting real-world deployments, and 2 position papers offering forward-looking perspectives.
The program featured keynote talks delivered by leading experts in the field, including Kristiina Jokinen (Artificial Intelligence Research Center, Tokyo, Japan), Björn W. Schuller (Imperial College London, UK / Technical University of Munich, Germany) and Roberto Pieraccini, Vice President, Chief Scientist, Head of AI at Uniphore, USA. They addressed current challenges and future directions in conversational AI. In addition, the workshop fostered active exchange through technical sessions and discussions that brought together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry.
Overall, SiG-SDS at IWSDS 2025 facilitated a rich and collaborative environment, promoting innovation and interdisciplinary dialogue. The event reinforced the importance of building robust, adaptive, and socially aware dialogue systems, while strengthening the global research community working at the intersection of language, interaction, and intelligent systems.
Proceedings available at ACL Anthology (link)
2024
The Special Interest Group on Spoken Dialogue Systems formally established in May 2024.
Born from a thriving research community, the Special Interest Group on Spoken Dialogue Systems (SIG-SDS) was officially established in May 2024 during LREC-COLING 2024. Building on the long-standing success of the International Workshop on Spoken Dialogue Systems Technology (IWSDS), SIG-SDS marks a new chapter in uniting researchers and practitioners dedicated to advancing conversational AI.
The group brings together a global network of experts working on dialogue systems, multimodal interaction, and human-centered AI, transforming years of workshop collaboration into a sustained and growing initiative. Leadership was entrusted to Koichiro Yoshino (Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan) as President, alongside Luis Fernando D’Haro (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain) as Secretary.
With strong roots and an expanding vision, SIG-SDS serves as a hub for innovation, collaboration, and community-building in the evolving landscape of spoken dialogue systems.
Organization of the workshop IWSDS2024 in Sapporo (Japan) on March 4-6, 2024. (link to website).
The 14th International Workshop on Spoken Dialogue Systems Technology (IWSDS 2024), held in Sapporo, Japan (March 4–6, 2024) contributed to a lively and collaborative international research forum. The workshop focused on advancing spoken dialogue systems and conversational AI, with key topics including multimodal interaction, user engagement, emotion-aware dialogue, large-scale systems, and applications in healthcare, education, and intelligent assistants.
The event received a total of 52 submissions, of which 40 were accepted (76.9%), reflecting both strong interest and high-quality contributions. Among these, 22 papers were selected for oral presentation (42.3%), complemented by interactive sessions and demonstrations that encouraged discussion and knowledge exchange.
A total of 58 participants attended the workshop, including 38 regular researchers and 20 students, with 3 joining virtually. The event brought together a diverse international community from Bangladesh, China, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Through technical sessions, presentations, and networking opportunities, this event reinforced our mission to foster collaboration and innovation in spoken dialogue systems, supporting the development of more natural, intelligent, and human-centered conversational technologies.