ABSTRACT
The use of human virtual agents is increasingly prolific in a range of domains: education, medicine, health/mental care. The US Army has an interest in how it can leverage this technology to support the training mission of the military. One idea has included the use of a surrogate virtual agent; however, there remains a range of considerations that need further investigation in regard to the ethical considerations to design these systems, and how these systems can be used to support ethical decision making. This chapter will review the evolution, kinds, and uses of human virtual agents, and then review areas of consideration from a psychological and ethical perspective on future empirical work that is missing before implementing a systemic integration of surrogate virtual agents.
