CS4986: Knowledge Based Systems Assignment 1999-2000

The task

The Knowledge Based Systems course describes the techniques one might use when designing and building an artificial agent that can plan and act to achieve goals in some domain. However, the course assumes that there are no other agents in the domain.

Conduct a review of the research literature and then write an essay in which you critically review the techniques that might be used to build an agent that is to operate in a multi-agent domain.

Further instructions

• Review: Keywords that might *start* your literature review:

  agent, multi-agent, distributed artificial intelligence

• Essay format: Essays must be typed and the pages must be fastened in a way that does not obscure any of the text. There is no upper or lower length limit. But, for those of you in need of a guideline, I suggest the figure of 3000 words. Remember that quality counts more than quantity: flabby writing will not impress, and may lose you marks for poor presentation.
• Citations: This assignment is to be done individually, not in teams. The work you submit must be your own. You must be scrupulous in the use of citations for those parts of your essay that are based on materials found as part of your literature search.
• Deadline: 5 p.m., Thursday 23rd March 2000.
• Submission arrangements: You may either hand your essay to me in my office or, at your own risk, you may leave it in an envelope in my pigeon-hole in the Departmental Office.