Course contents 2024-2025 (subject to change)

0. Course Presentation

• [slides] Introduction to the course

1. Introduction

• Contents:
  • Origins
  • Agent types
  • Agent Architectures
    • Deliberative Architectures
    • Reactive Architectures
• [slides] Introduction to Multiagent Systems
  
• Recommended readings (about agents):
  • M. Wooldridge "Intelligent Agents".
    Chapter 1 in book "Multiagent Systems" G. Weiss (ed).
  • S. Russel, P. Norvig. "Intelligent Agents"
    Chapter 2 in book "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach".
  • M.Wooldridge, N. Jennings. "Intelligent Agents: Theory and Practice"
  • M. Luck, P. McBurney, O. Shehory, S. Willmott (eds). "Agent Technology: Computing as Interaction. A Roadmap for Agent Based Computing". Agentlink III consortium.
    
• Recommended readings (about Artificial Intelligence):
  • S. Russel, P. Norvig. "Introduction" (to Artificial Intelligence)
    Chapter 1 in book "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach".
  • Wikipedia: Artificial Intelligence

2. Reasoning in Agents

• Contents:
  • Introduction to Reasoning
  • Deductive Reasoning Agents
  • Practical Reasoning Agents. The BDI model
    
• [slides] Part 1: Introduction to Reasoning. Deductive Reasoning Agents
• [slides] Part 2: Practical Reasoning Agents. BDI Agents
  
• Programming Intelligent Agents:
  • Simbolic Reasoning Agents: Goal-Driven
    • Jadex BDI Agent System
    • BDI4JADE
    • GAMA (with BDI Agents extension)
    • Jason BDI agent programming language
    • JaKta BDI agent programming language
    • ASTRA programming language
    • SPADE (with BDI extension)
    • GOAL and MARBEL Agent Programming Language
    • 2APL (two-a-p-l) a Practical Agent Programming Language [WARNING: the old site (apapl.sourceforge.net) has been hacked]
  • Simbolic Reasoning Agents: non Goal-Driven
    • Golog
    • SOAR
  • Opaque Reasoning Agents (Deep Learning / LLMs)
    • LangChain+LangGraph
    • CrewAI
    • AutoGPT (Warning: associated costs for continuous use of GPT API's)
    • Many proprietary AI Agents/LLM Agents/Agentic AI solutions: IBM Granite, servicenow AI Agents, Forethought AI, ...
  • No Reasoning Agents (Reactive Agents / Event-Driven)
    • JADE - The Java Agent DEvelopment framework
    • SARL Agent-Oriented Programming Language
    • PADE - Python Agent DEvelopment framework
    • SPADE - Smart Python Agent Development Environment
    • GAMA Platform
• Recommended readings:
  • Wikipedia articles:
    • Modal Logic
    • Kripke semantics
    • Possible worlds and Accesibility relation
    • Epistemic Logic
    • Temporal Logic and Computational Tree Logic
    • Deontic Logic
    • Dynamic Logic
  • P. Blackburn, J. Bos and K. Striegnitz. "Learn Prolog Now".
  • M. Wooldridge. "Modal Logic".
    Extracted from "The Logical Modelling of Computational Multiagent Systems"

3. Multiagent Systems Design

• Contents:
  • Introduction to Agent-Oriented Software Engineering methodologies.
  • GAIA methodology
  • Prometheus methodology
• [slides] Part 1: Agent-Oriented Software Engineering. The GAIA Methodology
• [slides] Part 2: The Prometheus Methodology
• [slides] Part 3: Design tips and good practices [NEW!!]
• Recommended readings:
  • N. Jennings, M. Wooldridge "Agent-Oriented Software Engineering "
  • [GAIA v.1] M. Wooldridge, N. Jennings, D. Kinny. "The GAIA methodology for Agent-Oriented Analysis and Design"
    Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (3) 3, pp. 285-312. Kluwer 2000.
  • [GAIA v.2] F. Zambonelli, M. Wooldridge, N. Jennings. "Developing Multiagent Systems: The Gaia Methodology" ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, Vol. 12, No. 3, July 2003.
  • L. Padgham, M. Winikoff. "Prometheus: A Pragmatic Methodology for Engineering Intelligent Agents".

4. Coordination and Social Models

• Contents:
  • Introduction to Coordination.
  • Coordination Models (I). Social Models
    • Reputation and Trust. Social Roles.
    • Electronic Organizations
    • Electronic Institutions
  • Coordination Models (II): Non-social models
    • Explicit Coordination
    • Implicit Coordination
• [slides] Part 1: Introduction to Coordination.
• [slides] Part 2: Trust and Reputation
• [slides] Part 3: Social Models. Roles. Electronic Organizations [UPDATED!!]
• [slides] Part 4: Norms. Electronic Institutions
• Recommended readings:
  • S. Willmott. "Coordination and Organisation”
    Appendix B Chapter from his PhD Thesis, EPFL, 2006.
  • J. Sabater I Mir. “Trust and reputation for agent societies”
    PhD Thesis, CSIC, 2003.
  • L. Mui, "Computational Models of Trust and Reputation: Agents, Evolutionary Games, and Social Networks”.
    PhD Thesis, Massachusets Institute of Technology, 2002.
  • V. Dignum. "A model for organizational interaction: based on agents, founded in logic".
    PhD Thesis, Universiteit Utrecht, 2003.
  • J. Vázquez Salceda. “The Role of Norms and Electronic Institutions in Multiagent Systems” Birkhauser-Verlag, 2004.
    Original document (PhD Thesis) available on-line [zipped Postcript document]
  • S. Alvarez-Napagao. "Bringing Social Reality to Multiagent and Service Architectures. Practical reductions for monitoring of Deontic-Logic and Constitutive Norms".
    PhD Thesis, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTECH, 2016.
• Programming Social Models:
  • JaCoMo (Jason + CArtAgO + Moise)
  • GAMA BEN (Behavior with Emotions and Norms)

5. Situated Agents (robots)

• Contents:
  • Perception Problems
  • Problems on action execution
  • Situated Agents’ Architectures
    • Reactive Architectures
    • Deliberative Architectures
    • Hybrid Architectures
  • Knowledge Representation and Uncertainty
  • Planning and Uncertainty
  • Multi-Robot Systems
• Recommended readings:
  • Wikipedia Portal: Artificial Intelligence - Robotics

6. Other applications

• Contents:
  • Distributed eBusiness Applications
  • [slides] Electronic Contractual Institutions and Organizational models for eBusiness applications
  • Interacting with humans
    • Adjustable Autonomy
    • User Modelling
  • Agent-Based Social Simulations
  • Multiagent Sistems for videogames
    
    • [slides] cOnscienS: social and organizational framework for gaming AI