Intelligent agents (knowbots, softbots, and robots) are software or hardware entities that perform a set of tasks on behalf of a user with some degree of autonomy. They find applications in a variety of domains including: Internet-based information systems, adaptive (customizable) software systems, autonomous mobile and immobile robots, data mining and knowledge discovery, smart systems (smart homes, smart automobiles, etc.), decision support systems, and intelligent design and manufacturing systems. Current research on intelligent agents and multi-agent systems builds on developments in several areas of computer science including: artificial intelligence (especially agent architectures, machine learning, planning, distributed problem-solving), information retrieval, database and knowledge-base systems, and distributed computing.

This purpose of this seminar is to explore current research in intelligent agents and multi-agent systems with emphasis on the following topics:

• Theoretical Foundations
• Design and Implementation of Intelligent Agents: reactive, deliberative, planning, knowledge-based, logical, rational, communicating, adaptive, and learning agents
• Adaptive Information Retrieval and Knowledge Discovery Agents
• Languages and Tools for design and implementation of intelligent agents and multi-agent systems
• Applications: adaptive information retrieval, decision support, knowledge discovery, design and manufacturing, smart systems, robots

Interested students may register for 1 or 3 credits for ComS 610 VH depending on their anticipated level of involvement:

• 1 credit: lead the discussion on a paper, a book chapter, or a small set of papers on a given topic.
• 3 credits: in addition to reading and leading the discussion on assigned material, complete a small group research project on intelligent agents.

• Intelligent Agents and Multiagent Systems. Based on material from Honavar, V. Intelligent Agents. Invited chapter in: Encyclopedia of Information Technology. Williams, J.G. and Sochats, K. (Ed.) New York: Marcel Dekker. To appear. Vasant Honavar, September 3, 1997.
• A Survey of Mobile Agent Development Environments. With emphasis on Objectspace's Voyager and IBM's Agent Building Environment. Dean Stevens and Darren Manning, September 10, 1997.
• Agents for Electronic Commerce, TBA, September 17, 1997.
• Information Gathering Agents. Based on: Knoblock, C., Ambite, J-L. Agents for Information Gathering. In: Bradshaw, J. (Ed.), Software Agents. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Di Wang, September 24, 1997.
• Mobile Agents. Based on material from: White, J. Mobile Agents. In: Bradshaw, J. (Ed.), Software Agents. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Jihoon Yang, October 1, 1997.
• Direct Manipulation versus Agents. Based on: Schneiderman, B. Direct Manipulation versus Agents: Paths to Predictable and Comprehensible Interfaces. In: Bradshaw, J. (Ed.), Software Agents. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/AAAI Press. 1997. Ravikumar Dandu, October 8, 1997.
• Agents and Interoperability. Based on: Genesereth, M. An Agent-based Framework for Interoperability. In: Bradshaw, J. (Ed.), Software Agents. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/AAAI Press. 1997. Ravi Vankamamidi, October 29, 1997.
• Knowledge Interchange Format and Knowledge Query Manipulation Language: An overview. , November 5, 1997.