Software Agents &Agent-Based Systems

Sverker JansonIntelligent Systems LaboratorySwedish Institute of Computer Sciencesverker@sics.se

A somewhat trite vision...

Intelligent agents...• understand what we mean• find and use relevant

information• automate routine tasks• adapt to our needs and

desires• cooperate with other

assistants• et c, et c

Cf. Knowledge Navigator ’87, featuring Phil

Can we make it real?

• When we have solved the ”AI problem” ...

• But we don’t need to• A computer can play

a fair game of chess• Agents may (should)

address specific tasks

Common characteristics...

Agents are...• situated• autonomous• reactive• pro-active• social• rational• et c, et c

Cf. Jennings, Sycara, Wooldridge, A Roadmap of Agent Research and Development, JAAMAS, 1998

Commonmetaphore?

Agent-based systems

Systems & informationintegration Multiagent

systems

ResourcemarketsInternetcommerceRecommendersystems

Software agents

Agents

Assistant agents

Believable agents

Simulated agents

Economics

People...

Sociology

Robots

Mobile agents

Artificial life

Personal assistant agents

• Reducing work and information overload

• Examples– Apple’s Knowledge

Navigator– MIT Media Lab

(various) – Microsoft Paper Clip– Office of Naval

Research Tactical Picture Agent

Mobile agents

• Moving running software between computers

• Purpose– overcome network latency

(e.g. interact in real time)– use located resources

(e.g. computing power, storage, special hardware)

– see e.g. Seven Good Reasons for Mobile Agents by Lange and Oshima, CACM 3(42)

• Problems– Security, trust,

performance

Mobile agents, unique selling point…

Agent-based systems

How communicate?

• Sharing information & bridging data models

• High level speech act based protocols– KQML / FIPA ACL– Cf. SOAP

• Expressive logic based content formats– KIF / FIPA SL– Cf. semantic web

• Systems and information integration

TELL p(a)

How coordinate?

• Coordinating different interests and goals

• Agent: locus of self-interest

• Market based interaction– Contract net– Combinatorial markets

• Combination with organization– Coalition formation

• Multiagent systems, e.g. automated markets

Objects vs agents

• Objects– state– methods– control– method invocation

• Agents– goals– knowledge– planning– negotiation

Agents address software complexity• Complex functionality?

– “mechanistic” explanation too complex?

– replace direct manipulation with dialogue

– from understanding to trust

– Cf. assistant agents

• Complex interrelationships?– let components be

“selfish”– interaction through

negotiation– global properties by

mechanism design– Cf. agent-based systems

Whose agent?