Understanding intelligent agents: analysis and synthesis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Fox, John | Beveridge, Martin | Glasspool, David

Affiliations: London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PX, UK E‐mail: {john.fox,martin.beveridge,david.glasspool}@cancer.org.uk

Abstract: Current views of intelligent agent technologies are reviewed with respect to (a) their general cognitive capabilities and (b) the classic Belief‐Desire‐Intention (BDI) model. A benchmark agent model is developed as a basis for analyzing and comparing agent systems. PROforma is an agent technology that has grown out of work in modeling medical expertise and the benchmark is used to carry out a case study analysis of this technology, looking at it from three contrasting points of view: logic programming, object‐oriented programming and agent‐oriented programming. These viewpoints yield different insights into the strengths and weaknesses of PROforma and lead to a clarification and consolidation of the benchmark agent features. The consolidated model offers a useful framework for analysis and comparison of other agent systems in medicine or other domains.

Keywords: Agent programming, object oriented programming, logic programming

Journal: AI Communications, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 139-152, 2003