Barbara Dunin-Keplicz

DESIRE: Modelling Multi-Agent Systems in a Compositional Formal Framework

This paper discusses an example of the application of a high-level modelling framework which supports both the specification and implementation of a systems conceptual design. This framework, DESIRE (framework for DEsign and Specification of Interacting REasoning components), explicitly models the knowledge, interaction, and coordination of complex tasks and reasoning capabilities in agent systems. For the application domain addressed in this paper, an operational multi-agent system which manages an electricity transportation network for a Spanish electricity utility, a comprehensible specification is presented.

Agent Theory for Team Formation by Dialogue

The process of cooperative problem solving can be divided into four stages. First, finding potential team members, then forming a team followed by constructing a plan for that team. Finally, the plan is executed by the team. Traditionally, protocols like the Contract Net protocol are used for performing the first two stages of the process. In an open environment however, there can be discussion among the agents in order to form a team that can achieve the collective intention of solving the problem. For these cases fixed protocols like contract net do not suffice. In this paper we present a theory for agents that are able to discuss the team formation and subsequently work as a team member until the collective goal has been fulfilled.We also present a solution, using structured dialogues, with an emphasis on persuasion, that can be shown to lead to the required team formation. The dialogues are described formally using modal logics and speech acts.

Creating collective intention through dialogue.

The process of Cooperative Problem Solving can be divided into four stages. First, finding potential team members, then forming a team followed by constructing a plan for that team. Finally, the plan is executed by the team. Traditionally, protocols like the Contract Net protocol are used for performing the first two stages of the process. In an open environment however, there can be discussion among the agents in order to form a team that can achieve the collective intention of solving the problem. For these cases fixed protocols like contract net do not suffice. In this paper we present a solution, using structured dialogues, with an emphasis on persuasion, that can be shown to lead to the required team formation. The dialogues are described formally using modal logics and speech

Compositional formal specification of multi-agent systems

In this paper it is investigated how multi-agent systems with complex agents can be designed and formally specified based on the notion of a compositional architecture. After identifying the types of knowledge required for an agent we formally define a general multi-agent system. Moreover, a specific type of agent with various capabilities of reasoning and acting is given. Some essential patterns of integrated reasoning, communication and interaction with the material world are described. Finally, we present an overview of formal semantics for our approach.

Dialogue in Team Formation

The process of cooperative problem solving can be divided into four stages. First, finding potential team members, then forming a team followed by constructing a plan for that team. Finally, the plan is executed by the team. Traditionally, very simple protocols like the Contract Net protocol are used for performing the first two stages of the process. And often the team is already taken for granted. In an open environment (like in e.g. electronic commerce) however, there can be discussion among the agents in order to form a team that can achieve the collective goal of solving the problem. For these cases fixed protocols like contract net do not suffice. In this paper we present an alternative solution, using structured dialogues that can be shown to lead to the required team formation. The dialogues are described formally (using some modal logics), thus making it possible to actually prove that a certain dialogue has a specific outcome.

Modelling Internal Dynamic Behaviour of BDI Agents

A generic model for the internal dynamic behaviour of BDI agents is proposed. This model, a refinement of a generic agent model, explicitly specifies beliefs and motivational attitudes such as desires, goals, intentions, commitments, and plans, and their relations. A formal meta-language is used to represent beliefs, motivational attitudes and strategies. Dynamic aspects of reasoning about and revision of beliefs and motivational attitudes are modelled in a compositional manner within the modelling framework DESIRE.

Modelling Distributed Industrial Processes in a Multi-Agent Framework *

Automation of industrial and business processes has focused primarily on modeling information available within and applicable to an organization. Large quantities of data have become not only available but also easily accessible, to appropriate (groups of) individuals within an organization.

Epistemic Approach to Actions with Typical Effects

We study a problem of actions with typical, but not certain effects. We show how this kind of actions can be incorporated in a dynamic/epistemic multi-agents system in which the knowledge, abilities and opportunities of agents are formalized as well as the results of actions they perform. To cope with complexity of a rational agent behaviour, we consider scenarios composed of traditionally viewed basic actions and atomic actions with typical effects. We focus on a specific type of scenarios reflecting a “typical” pattern of an agents behaviour. Adopting a model-theoretic approach we formalize a nonmonotonic preferential strategy for these scenarios in order to reason about the final results of their realizations.

Dynamics of Approximate Information Fusion

The multi-agent system paradigm has proven to be a useful means of abstraction when considering distributed systems with interacting components. It is often the case that each component may be viewed as an intelligent agent with specific and often limited perceptual capabilities. It is also the case that these agent components may be used as information sources and such sources may be aggregated to provide global information about particular states, situations or activities in the embedding environment. This paper investigates a framework for information fusion based on the use of generalizations of rough set theory and the use of dynamic logic as a basis for aggregating similarity relations among objects where the similarity relations represent individual agents perceptual capabilities or limitations. As an added benefit, it is shown how this idea may also be integrated into description logics.

Taming Complex Beliefs

A novel formalization of beliefs in multiagent systems has recently been proposed by Dunin-Keplicz and Szalas. The aim has been to bridge the gap between idealized logical approaches to modeling beliefs and their actual implementations. Therefore the stages of belief acquisition, intermediate reasoning and final belief formation have been isolated and analyzed. In conclusion, a novel semantics reflecting those stages has been provided. This semantics is based on the new concept of epistemic profile, reflecting agent’s reasoning capabilities in a dynamic and unpredictable environment. The presented approach appears suitable for building complex belief structures in the context of incomplete and/or inconsistent information. One of original ideas is that of epistemic profiles serving as a tool for transforming preliminary beliefs into final ones. As epistemic profile can be devised both on an individual and a group level in analogical manner, a uniform treatment of single agent and group beliefs has been achieved.