Eugnio Oliveira FEUP

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AUTONOMOUS AGENTS and MULTI- AGENT SYSTEMS

• Eugénio Oliveira FEUP
• Rui Mendes UM
• Jorge Simão FCUP

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Is there a need for Agents? Computer trends

• ubiquity
• Interconnection
• intelligence
• delegation
• human-orientation

YES!!
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Is there a need for Agents? Computer trends

• ubiquity
• Distributed software according to the current
  spread out of processing capabilities into devices

• Interconnection
• Computers are now networked.
• Computing as a process of interaction

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Is there a need for Agents? Computer trends

• intelligence
• We are willing to ask computers to cope with more
  sophisticated tasks

• delegation
• We are giving control to computers
• Ex automatic pilots

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Is there a need for Agents? Computer trends

• human-orientation
• Programmers conceptualize and implement software
  in terms of higher-level,
• more human-oriented abstractions
• (Programs that are User-friend)

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Is there a need for Agents? Progress on Software
Paradigms

• From machine code
• assembly language
• machine-independent programming languages
• sub-routines
• procedures functions
• abstract data types
• objects
• to agents.

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Is there a need for Agents? Agents, what for?

• The ability of computer systems to act
  independently
• The ability of computer systems to act in a way
  that represents our best interests while
  interacting with other humans or systems

• Autonomy Pro-activity Interactivity

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Is there a need for Agents?

• Global Computing needs, lead us to
• Autonomous Agents
• and
• Multi-Agent Systems

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Is there a need for Agents?

• A Multi-agent system is one that consists of a
  number of agents, which interact with one-another
• to cooperate, coordinate, and negotiate with
  each other

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Agents?

• A Computational entity situated in the
  environment and displaying a degree of autonomy ,
  reactivity and pro-activity

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Is there a need for Agents?

• Agent concept extended for
• Neural Networks
• Evolutionary Programming
• Multi-Agent Systems with
• Swarm Intelligence

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• The webpage course
• C\eco\AULAS_07_08\MAP\MAPI\AAMAS_07_08