MultiAgents Flashcards
What is a Multiagent System (MAS)?
A system or organization of interacting autonomous agents
What are the three core components of a multiagent system?
Agents (autonomous entities); Organization (structure of interactions); Environment (shared space where agents operate)
Why are multiple agents needed instead of a single agent?
Single agents have finite rationality with limited knowledge and some problems are intrinsically distributed requiring local knowledge acquisition
What is meant by “spheres of influence” in MAS?
The portion of the environment in which agents act
Name three common applications of multiagent systems
Trading/E-commerce; Distributed control of physical processes; Resource management
What is swarm robotics?
Multitudes of simple robots interacting to achieve group capabilities
What distinguishes agents from objects and services in software engineering?
Objects and services are functional entities while agents are goal-oriented autonomous entities
What is the Gaia methodology?
A methodology for developing multiagent systems that views systems as organizations where individuals play specific roles
What are the two main models in Gaia methodology?
Analysis Models (environment roles goals behaviors) and Architecture Design (organizational structure)
What determines the organizational structure in Gaia?
Simplicity mirroring real-world organization complexity of problem and effort needed to enact organizational rules
What is strategic thinking in multiagent systems?
The use of game theory to analyze competitive situations where outcomes depend on actions of other participants
What is a utility function in game theory?
A function that captures agent preferences and leads to preference orderings over outcomes
What is a Nash equilibrium?
A situation where no agent can gain advantage by unilaterally changing their strategy given what others are doing
What are the key components of a payoff matrix?
Strategies of different players and their corresponding payoffs for each combination of actions
What is a zero-sum game?
A game where the utilities of all players sum to zero meaning one player’s gain equals another’s loss
What is the Prisoner’s Dilemma?
A game theory scenario where two prisoners must decide whether to confess or stay silent with specific payoff structures
What was the key finding of Axelrod’s Tournament regarding the Prisoner’s Dilemma?
TIT-FOR-TAT strategy (cooperate first then copy opponent’s previous action) consistently performed best
What are the four rules for success in Axelrod’s tournament?
Don’t be envious; Be nice; Retaliate appropriately; Don’t hold grudges
What is a reputation system in MAS?
A system that measures the reliability of agents in multiagent interactions to promote indirect reciprocity
What are the two types of reciprocity in reputation systems?
Upstream (A helps B B helps C) and Downstream (B helps A C helps B)
What is the Battle of Sexes game?
A coordination game where players prefer different activities but most prefer being together
What is the Game of Chicken?
A game where two players face off and the worst outcome is mutual defection
What is the Stag Hunt game?
A coordination game where players must decide whether to cooperate for maximum reward or play it safe individually
What are the two primary forms of agent interactions?
Direct interactions (explicit communication) and Stigmergic interactions (through environment)
What are the three types of collaborative relationships in MAS?
Collaborative; Competitive; Collaborative Competition
What must all multiagent interaction protocols guarantee?
Success (agreement); Maximization of social welfare; Pareto efficiency; Individual rationality; Simplicity; Robustness
What is an Agent Communication Language (ACL)?
A language that defines allowed performatives and their structure/syntax for agent communication
What is an ontology in the context of MAS?
A formal specification of how to represent objects concepts entities and their relationships in a domain
What are the two types of one-to-one protocols?
Information-oriented (proactive) and Action-oriented (reactive)
What is the Contract Net Protocol?
A cooperative negotiation protocol where manager agents delegate tasks to contractor agents through bidding
What are the four main types of auctions?
English (ascending); Dutch (descending); American (first sealed bid); Fishmarket (double auction)
What is a combinatorial auction?
An auction where agents bid for specific combinations of goods/resources rather than individual items
What is argumentation in MAS?
A protocol where agents discuss their beliefs and goals trying to convince each other
What is JADE?
A software framework that simplifies implementing multi-agent systems focused on agent communications
What is stigmergic interaction?
Agents interact indirectly through a common information space or environment leaving intentional signs
What are speech acts in agent communication?
Communications treated as actions that agents use to affect other agents’ beliefs desires and intentions
Name five common performatives in agent communication
INFORM REQUEST AGREE CANCEL REFUSE
What is the difference between collaborative and competitive interactions?
Collaborative agents work towards common goals and trust each other while competitive agents pursue self-interest
How does the English auction work?
Starts with lowest acceptable price and increases until reaching near maximum anyone willing to pay
What is the key characteristic of Dutch auctions?
Price starts high and decreases until first bidder wins
What makes MARS different from JADE?
MARS focuses on programmable tuple spaces while JADE focuses on agent communications
What is the role of an auctioneer in multiagent systems?
Controls auction execution (may not be needed in collaborative systems)
How do nature-inspired interaction protocols work?
They rely on evolution of simple interactions leading to stable satisfactory equilibria
What is Pareto efficiency in interaction protocols?
No outcome could make one agent happier without making others unhappier
What is individual rationality in protocols?
Following protocol rules is in best interest of participants
What are the key components of practical intelligence in agents?
Being situated in environment capable of autonomous actions to meet design goals
What is the difference between theoretical and practical reasoning?
Theoretical affects beliefs about world; Practical weighs options based on desires/beliefs
What is the purpose of field-based interactions?
Allow agents to interact indirectly through modifications to shared environment
How does the American auction differ from English/Dutch?
Uses secret bids with highest bidder winning
What is the main challenge in combinatorial auctions?
Evaluating bids for combinations of goods and reserving appropriate bundles
