Intelligent Agents Characteristics

effectual factors CharacteristicsReport on legal AgentsMethodologyThe research for this report was do using the various books from the library, Internet sites and computer magazines.IntroductionThe implements of sizable ele workforcets indoors the home and in businesses boast increased dramatically over the categorys. levelheaded agents argon a part of a program that carries come to the fore a task unsupervised and applies al al virtually degree of experience to the task.New and improve salubrious agents argon constantly existence designed and provoked to carry out many crying and predict able tasks.One definition of an reasoning(a) agent, as described by assigns an intelligent agent perceives its surroundings via sensors and acts rationally upon that milieu with its effectors. Hence, an intelligent agent gets perceptions one at a time and maps this percept into attainsIn his book, Essentials of counsel Information Systems, Kenneth Laudon describes an inte lligent agent as being softwargon programs that work in the background to carry out specific, clamant and predictable tasks for an individual user business or software practical application.The design and production of an intelligent agent has to take into consideration numerous factors. This report takes a look at these considerations and factors and wins and insight into how intelligent agents are influencing businesses and society as a whole.FindingsAgent Characteristics expert agents have quartette main marksAn agent is a computer software system whose characteristics are situatedness, autonomy, adapitvity and sociability.Situatedness When an Agent receives some form of sensory input from its environment, it then performs some actions that change its environment in some way.AutonomyThis agent characteristic means that an agent is able to act without direct intervention from populace or other agents. This type of agent has almost complete take hold over it own actions and internal state.AdapitvityThis agent characteristic means that it is clear of reacting flexibly to changes within its environment. It is able to accept polish directed initiatives when take into account and is also capable of learning from its own experiences, environment and interaction with others. sociablenessThis type of characteristic means that the agent is capable of interacting in a peer-to-peer manner with other agents or humans.Design ConsiderationsOne of the most weighty aspects of intelligent agents is the design of the actual agent. The agent re lasts to be able to fulfil the tasks that are postulate from it, i.e. to achieve its goals.There are tetrad main aspects that need to be interpreted into consideration when designing an intelligent agent.Percepts This is the entropy that the agent receivesActionsThis is what the agent needs to do or bath do to achieve its objectives.GoalsThis is the factor that the agent is trying to achievesurroundThe final aspect is th e environment in which the agent volition be working in. The environment in which the agent performs is probably the most chief(prenominal) aspect that needs to be considered as this affects the outcome of the percepts, actions and goals.Different Approaches to Agent DesignFrom the agent characteristics and design considerations come four different approaches to intelligent agent design.Simple Reflex AgentsSimple reflex agents are the most basic form of intelligent agent. They are simple minded, direct connections mingled with percepts and actions.Reflex Agents with Internal StateReflex agents with internal state are similar to the Simple reflex agents except they remember the state of the environment as contained in earlier percepts.As the agents sensors do not provide a detailed account of the environment at each input, a perception of the environment is captured over a period of time that provided gain ground information to the agent and enables it to provide better results.G oal establish AgentsFor a goal based agent, the agent must know more than than the flow rate state of the environment, they must know the full requirements of the goal that they are required to perform.The goal based agent combines the information of the goal with assertable actions that will achieve that goal. This may cause the agent to take longer sequences of possible actions before deciding on the right course of action and whether the goal has been achieved.Goal Based agents also take the future into consideration.3.4 returns Based AgentsUtility-based agents are the ultimate form of intelligent agent and are an extension service of the goal-based agent.Utility agents consider degrees of utility and try to maximise their own potential. Utility functions allow the agent to identify conflicting or alternative goals and decisions.The likeliness of success and importance of the goal can also be compared and evaluated by the utility agent the agent would then execute stamp do wn action to ensure the best option was selected.Distinction between EnvironmentsAccessible Vs tracklessThis environment is concerned with whether the agent is able to see the exact state of the environment. If the agents sensors are able to provide it with complete access to the state of the environment undeniable to choose an action, then the environment is accessible otherwise it is inaccessible.deterministic Vs NondeterministicIn a deterministic environment, the use of the same actions will produce the same outcome every time the act or short letter is repeated.But in a Nondeterministic environment the final outcome of the process or situation will be different every time. divided Vs NonepisodicIn an episodic environment, subsequent episodes do not depend on the actions that occurred in previous episodes, agents in this type of environment dont need to broadcast ahead.Agents in Nonepisodic environments do tend to depend on previous actions that occurred in previous episodes and do tend to have to plan ahead.4.4 Static Vs high-energyA static environment is an environment that doesnt change and the time taken for an agent to process an action doesnt matter, as the environment will hold on the same.A dynamic environment changes continuously and an intelligent agent has to be able to process actions quickly before the environment changes. Discrete Vs unremittingIn a discrete environment the number of distinct percepts and actions that an agent will receive is limited to a set amount, but in a continuous environment the percepts and actions are unlimited. keen agents that are in an accessible or deterministic environment do not need to deal with uncertainty.Inaccessible, Nondeterministic, Nonepisodic, Dynamic, and Continuous environments are the most challenging, as these are occasional environments, the other environments are more stable and less volatile.The use of Intelligent Agents in BusinessesThe use of intelligent agents has increased dramaticall y over the former(prenominal) 5 year, though the majority of people wouldnt think twice round the process that they do that make their lives easier.During the1990s, A.D.Little, a management consultant, estimated that by the year 2000, 15 to 20 percent of all computer applications would contain intelligent agents. though this figure has increased a substantial amount with the schooling of new technologies.The use of intelligent can agents can be seen in every industry sector within the UK and all over the world.The most common and widely used agents are gear up within ii main sphere of influences. The first is within office type environments in which computers are used and the second is on the World Wide Web.In the first issue, computer software is the main reason for agents being used so widelyOperating systems use agents to add email and dial up networking account, do group management, add/remove programs and devices and monitor licences.Spreadsheet agents offer suggestions for good and can also tutor novice users.Software development agents embolden in routine activities such as data filtering.The second and area and probably the largest is the Internet. The internet uses a grade of different types of agents to help the user find what they are looking for. They includeSearch engines improve your information retrieval on the InternetWeb mastering Agents these agents make it at large(p) to manage a web siteWeb Agents These agents improve the users search experience.Monitoring Agents These agents monitor web sites or specific themes you are arouse in.Shopbots These agents allow you to compare prices on Internet.Virtual Assistants these include virtual pets and backdrop assistants.Intelligent agents can be seen in a wide compartmentalisation of situations, the table in point 5.1 provides more examples of what agents are capable of.Though agents are making life easier, it is also reducing the amount of employees needed to do the job. An examp le of this would be a car-manufacturing factory. During the 1980s thousands of people were sedulous to make the vehicles but since the introduction of machinery that contains an intelligent agent to do the repetitive work, numerous people were made redundant and the positions in which 4 5 people did the job has been reduced to one or two men and the machine.An intelligent agent is something that perceives and acts in an environments.An ideal agent is one that of all time takes the action that is expected to maximise its performance.There are a variety of basic agent program designs. The designs vary in efficiency, compactness and flexibility. The appropriate design of the agent program depends on the percepts, actions, goals and environment. Some environments are more demanding than others.Reflex agents respond immediately to percepts, goal based agents act so that they can achieve their goals and utility-based agents try to maximise their own happiness.The use of intelligence age nts has increased beyond the expectations of experts within the management and information technology fields. The use of intelligent agents are being seen in a wide crucify section of businesses whether it be in machinery and equipment or within the software programs that they have in their computers and networks. The most widely used forms of intelligent agents are found on the Internet, they are mainly used within search engines.RecommendationsIntelligent agents are the basis of artificial intelligence there are gigantic ongoing researches into the field, with many exciting possibilities.Agents are here to stay, not least because of their diversity, their wide range of applications and the broad spectrum of companies gradeing in them. As we move further and further into the information age, any information-based organisation which does not invest in agent technology may be committing commercial hara-kiri. BibliographyStuart Russell and bastard Norvig 1995,Artificial intellige nce A modern Approach, Prentice Hall www-cdr.Stanford.edu/nextlink/expert.html Accessed 13 October 2002Intelligent Agents on the internet fact, Fiction and Forecast, Oren Etzioni and Daniel S. Weld www.computer.org/intelligent/ex1995/x4044abs.htm Accessed sixteenth October 2002www.hermans.org/agents/index.html Accessed 16th October 2002Intelligent agents likely to cut jobs, alter offices, Kile Martzwww.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/1998/08/03focus5.html Accessed 16th October 2002http//www.agentland.com/http//sbm-connect.tees.ac.uk/ebuscon/Presentations%20(PPP%20%20PDF)%20Files/Chapter%2011%20Intelligent%20Systems%20in%20Business.pdf Accessed thirteenth October 2002Turban, McLean and Wetherbe, 1996, First Edition, Information technology for managers Improving Quality and ProductivityLaudon K. Essentials of Management Information Systems, 2002, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall