INTELLIGENCE (Distributed ARTIFICIAL)
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 1736 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented |
A technique leading to “…the construction of so-called multi-agents systems which permit modelization of the behavior of a set of more or less expert entities, more or less organized along kinds of social laws” (J. ERCEAU & J. FERBER, 1991, p.751).
ERCEAU and FERBER explain that “These entities or agents are endowed with a measure of autonomy and are immersed in an environment wherein and with which they interact. Accordingly, their structure is organized along three basic functions: to perceive, to decide and to act. They are physical entities (sensors, processors, vehicles…) or abstract ones (tasks to be executed, displacements,…), able to act upon their environment and upon themselves, i.e. to modify their own behavior. To do this they are endowed with a sketchy representation of that environment, and with perceptual and communication abilities” (Ibid).
The striking likeness of D.A.I.'s basic concepts with the basic working conditions of human societies may well be a harbinger of the shaping of societies of cooperative automata.
According to the authors the characteristics of these automata are of two different kinds. They should include:
- “eco-behavior” programs as for example satisfaction of needs, escape, aggression, return to satisfaction which would allow them to “… better their individual and community performance through learning-like mechanisms”.
- specialized modules within the structure of every agent. We should thus have “communicating agents, rational ones, intentional ones and reactive ones” (Ibid).