Abstract.
A computational model is developed, which captures
properties of relationship and organization in sets
of distributed intelligent agents. The model is inspired
by sociological theory, and uses centrally a concept of commitment.
Symbolic interactionist concepts in sociology are reviewed
from the perspective of Distributed Artificial Intelligence.
This includes the work of Anselm Strauss and Elihu Gerson.
A formulation of the concept of commitment
is proposed. The concept is propagated into notions
of agent and organization.
A formulation and computational model of the basic
notion of commitment is given, which represents commitments
as mutually agreed constraints on action, belief and world state.
The issues of agent integrity, plans and resources, and their
representation, are then discussed, and computational mechanisms defined.
An organization is
defined as a set of agents with consistent
mutual commitments. A mechanism is defined
to check and enforce the consistency of these commitments.