- Author:
- Yannis Labrou,
- Director:
- Timothy Finin
We address the issue of semantics for an agent communication language. In particular, the specification and semantics of Knowledge Query Manipulation Language (KQML), and the logical architecture of KQML-speaking agents are investigated. KQML is a language and protocol to support communication between (intelligent) software agents. First, we present a new specification for the KQML language that corrects a number of outstanding problems. Then, based on ideas from speech act theory, we propose a semantic description for KQML that associates "cognitive" states of the agent with the use of the language's primitives (performatives). We use this approach to describe the semantics for the whole set of reserved KQML performatives. Building on the semantics, we devise the conversation policies, i.e., a formal description of how KQML performatives may be combined into KQML exchanges (conversations), using a Definite Clause Grammar. Finally, we present the code for a Prolog program that shows how the conversation policies can be incorporated in a software agent that speaks KQML.The research presented here finalizes the specification of KQML and provides semantics for the language. The accompanying code shows how this research can be used to build KQML agents that make use of all of the powerful features of KQML. Thus, we offer the research community a completely defined communication language that can be used for knowledge exchange between software agents. Also, our research offers methods for: (1) a speech act theory-based semantic description of a language of communication acts, and (2) the specification of the protocols associated with these acts. Languages of communication acts address the issue of communication between software applications at a level of abstraction that could prove particularly useful to the emerging software agents paradigm of software design and development.
Cited By
- Ahmed M, Ahmad M and Yusoff M A collaborative framework for multiagent systems Proceedings of the Second international conference on Intelligent information and database systems: Part I, (329-338)
- Ahmed M, Ahmad M and Yusoff M Mitigating human-human collaboration problems using software agents Proceedings of the 4th KES international conference on Agent and multi-agent systems: technologies and applications, Part I, (203-212)
- Guerin F and Vasconcelos W Component-based standardisation of agent communication Proceedings of the 5th international conference on Declarative agent languages and technologies V, (227-244)
- Chen H, Yang Q and Xu M A calculus for MAS interaction protocol Proceedings of the 9th Pacific Rim international conference on Agent Computing and Multi-Agent Systems, (22-33)
- Dragoni N and Gaspari M Performative patterns for designing verifiable ACLs Proceedings of the 10th international conference on Cooperative Information Agents, (375-387)
- Bordetsky A, Brown K and Christianson L (2019). Adaptive Management of QoS Requirements for Wireless Multimedia Communications, Information Technology and Management, 4:1, (9-31), Online publication date: 1-Jan-2003.
- Beer M, Hill R, Huang W and Sixsmith A (2003). An agent-based architecture for managing the provision of community care - the INCA (Intelligent Community Alarm) experience, AI Communications, 16:3, (179-192), Online publication date: 1-Aug-2003.
- Beer M, Huang W and Sixsmith A Using agents to build a practical implementation of the INCA (intelligent community alarm) system Intelligent agents and their applications, (295-328)
- Bordetsky A, Brown K and Christianson L (2018). A Feedback Control Model for Managing Quality of Service in Multimedia Communications, Telecommunications Systems, 17:3, (349-371), Online publication date: 1-Jul-2001.
- Labrou Y Standardizing agent communication Mutli-agents systems and applications, (74-97)
- Hooda A, Karmouch A and Abu-Hakima S (1999). Managing Mobility of Users in a Virtual Network, Multimedia Tools and Applications, 9:1, (43-68), Online publication date: 1-Jul-1999.
Bayardo R, Bohrer W, Brice R, Cichocki A, Fowler J, Helal A, Kashyap V, Ksiezyk T, Martin G, Nodine M, Rashid M, Rusinkiewicz M, Shea R, Unnikrishnan C, Unruh A and Woelk D InfoSleuth Proceedings of the 1997 ACM SIGMOD international conference on Management of data, (195-206)- Bayardo R, Bohrer W, Brice R, Cichocki A, Fowler J, Helal A, Kashyap V, Ksiezyk T, Martin G, Nodine M, Rashid M, Rusinkiewicz M, Shea R, Unnikrishnan C, Unruh A and Woelk D (2019). InfoSleuth, ACM SIGMOD Record, 26:2, (195-206), Online publication date: 1-Jun-1997.
- Tolksdorf R Coordinating Java Agents with Multiple Coordination Language on the Berlinda Platform Proceedings of the 6th Workshop on Enabling Technologies on Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises, (121-126)
Recommendations
Some Remarks on the Semantics of FIPA's Agent Communication Language
The Foundation for Intelligent Physical Agents (FIPA) standardisation body has produced a set of specifications outlining a generic model for the architecture and operation of agent-based systems. The FIPA'97 Specification Part 2 is the normative ...
On the formal semantics of speech-act based communication in an agent-oriented programming language
Research on agent communication languages has typically taken the speech acts paradigm as its starting point. Despite their manifest attractions, speech-act models of communication have several serious disadvantages as a foundation for communication in ...
The semantics of MALLET–An agent teamwork encoding language
DALT'04: Proceedings of the Second international conference on Declarative Agent Languages and TechnologiesMALLET is a team-oriented agent specification and programming language. In this paper, we define an operational semantics for MALLET in terms of a transition system. The semantics can be used to guide the implementation of MALLET interpreters, and to ...