Training natural language system with generated dialogues

A pipeline for generating training data for training a natural language processing system, comprising:

• a seed dialogue acquisition machine configured to load, from a computer memory, a computer-readable transcript representing an ordered sequence of one or more dialogue events, wherein a dialogue event includes a client utterance or a computerized assistant response;
• an annotation acquisition machine configured to acquire a computer-readable command parametrized by a seed semantic parameter and describing an exemplary ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events from the computer-readable transcript, the seed semantic parameter indicating a semantic situation described in the computer-readable transcript;
• a synthetic data generation machine configured to:
• generate an alternative semantic parameter differing from the seed semantic parameter, the alternative semantic parameter indicating a different semantic situation not described in the computer-readable transcript, and to re-parametrize the computer-readable command by replacing the seed semantic parameter with the alternative semantic parameter;
• generate an alternative ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events based on the computer-readable command and the alternative semantic parameter, the alternative ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events differing from the exemplary ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events;
• and
• output, to a data store, an alternative computer-readable transcript including the alternative ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events, the alternative computer-readable transcript having a predetermined format usable to train the natural language processing system to respond to the different semantic situation.

A computer system, comprising:

• a logic device;
• and
• a storage device configured to hold instructions executable by the logic device to:
• load, into a computer memory, a computer-readable transcript representing an ordered sequence of one or more dialogue events, wherein a dialogue event includes a client utterance or a computerized assistant response;
• acquire a computer-readable command parametrized by a seed semantic parameter and describing an exemplary ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events from the computer-readable transcript, the seed semantic parameter indicating a semantic situation described in the computer-readable transcript;
• acquire an alternative semantic parameter differing from the seed semantic parameter, the alternative semantic parameter indicating a different semantic situation not described in the computer-readable transcript, and re-parametrize the computer-readable command by replacing the seed semantic parameter with the alternative semantic parameter;
• generate an alternative ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events based on the computer-readable command and the alternative semantic parameter, the alternative ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events differing from the exemplary ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events;
• and
• output, to a data store, an alternative computer-readable transcript including the alternative ordered subsequence of one or more dialogue events, the alternative computer-readable transcript having a predetermined format usable to train the natural language processing system to respond to the different semantic situation.