Contents:
This course introduces students to the fields of Multi-Agent Systems
and Distributed Artificial Intelligence, which deal with the issues
that arise when groups or societies of autonomous agents (usually
computer programs but sometimes people too) interact to solve
interrelated problems. These agents may be self-interested or
cooperating to solve a shared problem. Important issues include
reasoning about the knowledge & beliefs of other agents; high-level
communication & negotiation protocols; the organization, coordination,
and control of complex, distributed computation. Applications
include internet information gathering, electronic commerce, and
workflow management in areas such as finance, bioinformatics,
etc...
