Chatbot inclusivo: estudo sobre a relevância dos agentes conversacionais na perspectiva da (in)acessibilidade informacional digital

Abstract

Chatbots and voicebots are the new frontier of interaction, challenging the technological limits on the possibilities for communication and customer service and information users. Research into these agents is needed to assess their impact and challenges. Therefore, the problem question is: how do chatbots work to promote Digital Information Accessibility? The study focuses on the applicability of conversational agents in tackling the lack of accessibility to information in the digital context. The aim of the research is to investigate the presence of inclusive chatbots from the perspective of digital informational accessibility in the context of Latin American scientific production. Thus, an exploratory study was conducted with a mixed method approach - quanti/quali in sequential mode, using the systematic mapping technique to be a contribution to analyzing articles that deal with issues related to universal accessibility promoted by chatbots in the digital context. In order to systematize the information and insights from research on conversational agents in promoting accessibility, a table was formulated which provides an overview of (in)accessibility from the perspectives perceived in the papers analyzed. There are ten axes of analysis centered on articles produced by Latin American countries and twelve categories listed according to the theoretical framework of the research. Forty-one articles were analyzed, with chatbots as protagonists in promoting information accessibility, as network actors and as information mediators, because these agents act as a point of intersection between technology and users, facilitating access to and understanding complex information in a simplified way. Five levels of universal accessibility were identified in eleven articles. The results obtained are an indication that scientific production on informational accessibility is beginning to take new directions for research into applicability, usability and user experience in the context of chatbots developed for audiences with specific demands.