InferCogAgebility
Funders
Main funder
Leaders
InferCogAgebility: Supporting Conversations for Aging Minds
As populations age, many older adults experience mild cognitive impairment that can make everyday communication more challenging. InferCogAgebility is an interdisciplinary research project that seeks to address these challenges through innovative digital support for conversation.
The project focuses on developing a Conversation Assistant (iSpeak)—an intelligent, inference-supported tool that helps older adults and their caregivers engage in smoother, more meaningful interactions. By combining cognitive inference, semantic understanding, and assistive communication technology, it provides context-aware suggestions and conversational support that enhance clarity, connection, and confidence in daily life.
Beyond the technology, InferCogAgebility aims to foster social inclusion and reduce the stigma often associated with cognitive decline. It brings together experts in cognitive science, linguistics, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, and gerontology to create solutions grounded in empathy, ethics, and evidence.
Ultimately, the project envisions a future where digital assistance not only supports communication but also empowers aging individuals to maintain their identity, independence, and meaningful social relationships.
Keywords
Leaders
Professors
-
Honglin Chen
ProfessorDepartment of Social Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies -
Alina Solomon
ProfessorInstitute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
Other group members
-
Vasudevan Nedumpozhimana Post-Doctoral Researcher, ADAPT Center, Ireland
-
John D. Kelleher Professor, ADAPT Center, Ireland
-
Giulio Jacucci Professor, Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, Finland
-
Jiaoyun Yang Associate professor, Hefei University of Technology, China
-
Valtteri Arstila Professor, Turku University, Finland
Publications
3 items-
Co-Emergence of Sensory Modalities: Exploring the Dynamic Interaction and Adaptive Integration of Sensory Inputs in Meaning-Making Processes
Pala, Kiran, 2025, Proceedings of the annual conference of the cognitive science society. Abstract -
Compositional depths of cognitive semantics: bridging perceptual experiences and conceptual structures
Pala, Kiran; Nedumpozhimana, Vasudevan; Shalu, S, 2025, Frontiers in psychology, 16, 1453991. A1 Journal article (refereed), original research -
Reconceptualizing Knowledge: Evaluating the Ontological Complexity and Emergence of Knowledge in Cognitive Systems
Pala, Kiran, 2025, Proceedings of the annual conference of the cognitive science society. Abstract