Abstract: This work focuses on the design and implementation of a new model of
trust based on the formalizations of reputation, self-esteem, and similarity
within an agent. In this work we universalize reputation through the use of
values found within all virtual and agent societies. The following values are
manifested within a society of agents: responsibility, honesty, independence,
obedience, ambition, helpfulness, capability, knowledgability, and
cost-efficiency. Manifestations of these values lead to a more universalized
approach to formalizing reputation. This new model of trust is examined within the context of an
e-commerce framework. The e-commerce based multiagent system is comprised of
buyers and sellers that wish to conduct business. Sellers can engage in
untrustworthy business behavior at the buyer's expense. It is the job of the
model to decide whether a selling agent is trustworthy enough to engage in
business. The trust model is analyzed with respect to stability, scalability,
accuracy in attaining e-commerce objectives, and general effectiveness in
discouraging untrustworthy behavior. Based on the experiments, the model is scalable and stable dependent
upon the agent population of buyers and sellers. It achieves its primary
objective of discouraging untrustworthy behavior as measured through the
acceleration of Gross Domestic Product growth over time. Within the simulator,
a high degree of random outcomes is possible. Stability is used to examine the
predictability of the model (on average) given a fixed set of given data about
the simulations.
