Reflections on ambient intelligence systems handling of user preferences and needs

We start by assuming the hypothesis that Intelligent Environments are essentially user-centred systems and that the effectiveness of such systems is proportional to their knowledge of the user’s preferences and needs and to their capacity to deliver services based on that knowledge. We then start with the complex task of examining the intricacies of dealing with preferences and needs in a more systematic and computational way with the hope these concepts will be given more relevance in the future within our community. The aim of this discussion is to encourage future research to produce an effective way for Ambient Intelligence systems to represent and reason with the preferences and needs of the users of such systems