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Intelligent Agents: The Key Concepts

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Multi-Agent Systems and Applications II (ACAI 2001)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 2322))

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Abstract

This chapter aims to introduce the reader to the basic issues surrounding the design and implementation of intelligent agents. It begins by motivating the idea of an agent, presents a definition of agents and intelligent agents. The article then goes on to discuss four major approaches to building agents. First, logic based architectures are reviewed, in which decision-making is viewed as logical deduction. Second, reactive architectures are discussed, in which symbolic representations and models are eschewed in favour of a closer relationship between agent perception and action. Third, we discuss belief-desire-intention architectures, in which decision making is viewed as practical reasoning from beliefs about how the world is and will be to the options available to an agent, and finally to intentions and actions. Fourth, we review layered agent architectures, in which decision making is partitioned into a number of different decision making layers, each dealing with the agent’s environment at a different level of abstraction.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZF, UK

    Michael Wooldridge

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  1. Michael Wooldridge
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Department of Cybernetics, Czech Technical University, 166 27, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Mařík , Olga Štěpánková  & Hana Krautwurmová ,  & 

  2. Rockwell Automation Research Center Prague, Americka 22, 120 00, Prague 2, Czech Republic

    Vladimír Mařík

  3. Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK

    Michael Luck

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Wooldridge, M. (2002). Intelligent Agents: The Key Concepts. In: Mařík, V., Štěpánková, O., Krautwurmová, H., Luck, M. (eds) Multi-Agent Systems and Applications II. ACAI 2001. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 2322. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45982-0_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45982-0_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-43377-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45982-8

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