What is an autonomous agent? The study of autonomous agents is the latest endeavor to model and develop a system that exhibits multiple characteristics that are associated with intelligence behavior such as that in humans. Early artificial intelligence (AI) researchers, enthused by expectations of the early computer age and their early results, set out to construct complete intelligent systems. Such AI systems were expected to sense and perceive their environment, to reason and solve problems, to act and interact to achieve their agenda, to learn from experience. But coming up with a complete system was found to be difficult, even in a toy environment. As a result, AI research shifted to the
individual cognitive functions of intelligent systems and their applications in real world problems. These functions include perception, natural language understanding, learning,
problem solving, planning and action selection. Usually AI researches have been coupled with established results in cognitive science, cognitive neuroscience, linguistics,
statistics, dynamical systems, ethology, and other fields of study. Advances in each of these areas have enabled contemporary computer science researchers to build artifacts that integrate capabilities associated with multiple intelligent functions. Such artifacts are called autonomous (intelligent) agents.
For the most part, depending on the type of agent (based on domain and incorporated cognitive models) they built, many researchers advanced their own definitions for autonomous agents (Brustoloni, 1991; Smith et. al, 1994; Hays-Roth, 1995; Russel &
Norving 1995; Wooldrige & Jennings, 1995; Franklin & Grasser, 1996). As defined by Franklin and Graesser (1996), “An autonomous agent is a system situated within, and as part of, an environment that senses that environment and acts on it, over time, in pursuit of its own agenda and so as to affect what it senses in the future.” This definition is relatively succinct in capturing the essence of agents and it is getting a wider acceptance in the research community.
1.4.2 Software Agents
Software agents are types of non-biological autonomous agents that live ina
computational environment as software entities. The computational environment may include an operating system, a network (and many associated protocols such as the World-Wide Web), database systems, and many other computing and device control systems. Such computational environments present a complex and dynamic real world problem for a software agent to deal with. Many are developed to assist humans in
various tasks such as computer system administration (e.g.: Song, Franklin, & Negatu (1996)), mining and retrieval of relevant information in the world-wide web (many web- crawlers) and in database systems, easing the use of computer interfaces (example WS Windows helper agent), making the lives of computer users difficult (many computer viruses), and others.
1.4.3 “Conscious” Software Agents
The addition of “consciousness” mechanism in a software agent is expected to lead to a more robust, more human-like decision making and more creative problem solving agent system. We define a “conscious” software agent as an autonomous agent (Franklin &
Graesser, 1997) that implements Baars’ global workspace theory. IDA (Intelligent
Distribution Agent) is a “conscious” software agent that was developed for the U.S. Navy (Franklin, 2001; Franklin, Kelemen, & McCauley, 1998). The general principle in our agent design is: if you want smart software, copy it from humans. As of this writing, IDA has been successfully demonstrated to the Navy. IDA’s technology is being used to develop a product. IDA is “conscious” in the sense that it has functional or access
“consciousness” (Franklin, 2003) with no claim of sentience or phenomenal
consciousness.
1.4.4 IDA’s Domain
At the end of each sailor's tour of duty, he or she is assigned to a new billet. This
assignment process is called distribution, hence the name. The Navy employs some 280 people, called detailers, to effect these new assignments. IDA's task is to facilitate this process by completely automating the role of detailer. IDA must communicate with
sailors via email in natural language, understanding the content and producing life-like responses. Sometimes IDA will initiate conversations and must access several databases, again understanding the content. IDA must see that the Navy's needs are satisfied by adhering to a number of Navy policies and must hold down moving costs. IDA must see that the requirements for each job are met, as well as cater to the needs and desires of the sailor as much as is possible. This includes negotiating with the sailor via email in natural language. Finally, she must make the decision of a new job for the sailor.