Introduction
Time-offset interaction is a new technology that allows for two-way communication with a person who is not available for conversation in real time: a large set of statements are prepared in advance, and users access these statements through natural conversation that mimics face-to-face interaction. Conversational reactions to user questions are retrieved through a statistical classifier; all of the retrieved utterances are genuine statements by a real person. Recordings of answers, listening and idle behaviors, and blending techniques are used to create a persistent visual image of the person throughout the interaction.
