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)
