Fuzzy counter-offers in agent-mediated negotiations

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Carbó, Javier | Molina, José M. | Dávila, Jorge

Affiliations: University Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

Note: [] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Negotiation plays a fundamental role in systems composed of multiple autonomous agents. Some negotiations may require a more elaborated dialogue where agents would explain offer rejections in a general and vague way. We propose that agents would represent their disappointment about an offer through fuzzy logic. Fuzzyness can also be very useful in order to make human-like negotiations, consequently, user profiles may become more difficult to acquire in detail. Specifically we study two alternatives: a piece-wise fuzzy set or a linguistic label applied to each attribute of the offer. These alter-natives are evaluated comparing the performance of both types of counter-offers with a classical approach based on linear programming. Therefore, the average of negotiation length, benefits and percentage of agreements allow us to conclude the accuracy of the alternatives proposed.

Journal: Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 125-131, 2004