Agents and interactions

Summary form only given. Agents are computer systems capable of flexible autonomous action in dynamic and open environments. They are a natural extension of component-based approaches, but can be considered at several different levels: as a source of specific technologies; as a metaphor for abstraction and design, and as a means of simulation. While the CSCW community has focused on human-centred approaches to coordination and interaction, agent-based computing has addressed the infrastructure for support of machine interaction. Yet as the richness of computing increases, and as an increasing number of social metaphors are being used as inspiration for enabling and regulating machine-oriented interactions, the divisions between the two are decreasing. Motivated by this convergence, we review the current state of the art in agent-based computing, consider some applications in relation to collaboration across different domains, assess some of the challenges that face the different communities, and propose some research activities that can contribute to both.