The study of multi-agent systems (MAS) focuses on systems in which many intelligent agents interact with each other. These agents are considered to be autonomous entities such as software programs or robots. Their interactions can either be cooperative (for example as in an ant colony) or selfish (as in a free market economy). This book assumes only basic knowledge of algorithms and discrete maths, both of which are taught as standard in the first or second year of computer science degree programmes. A basic knowledge of artificial intelligence would useful to help understand some of the issues, but is not essential. The book’s main aims are: To introduce the student to the concept of agents and multi-agent systems, and the main applications for which they are appropriate To introduce the main issues surrounding the design of intelligent agents To introduce the main issues surrounding the design of a multi-agent society To introduce a number of typical applications for agent technology After reading the book the student should understand: The notion of an agent, how agents are distinct from other software paradigms (e.g. objects) and the characteristics of applications that lend themselves to agent-oriented software The key issues associated with constructing agents capable of intelligent autonomous action and the main approaches taken to developing such agents The key issues in designing societies of agents that can effectively cooperate in order to solve problems, including an understanding of the key types of multi-agent interactions possible in such systems The main application areas of agent-based systems

This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Computational Logic for Multi-Agent Systems, CLIMA VII, held in Hakodate, Japan, in May 2006. It was an associated event of AAMAS 2006, the main international conference on autonomous agents and multi-agent systems. The series of workshops presents current work on application of general and declarative theories.

This book constitutes the strictly refereed post-proceedings of the 6th International Workshop on Computational Logic for Multi-Agent Systems, CLIMA VI. The book presents 14 revised full technical papers, 4 contest papers, and 7 invited papers together with 1 invited article are organized in topical sections on foundational aspects of agency, agent programming, agent interaction and normative systems, the first CLIMA contest, and on the project report of the SOCS project.

Over recent years, the notion of agency has claimed a major role in de?ning the trends of modern research. In?uencing a broad spectrum of disciplines such as sociology, psychology, philosophy and many more, the agent paradigm virtually invaded every sub?eld of computer science, because of its promising applications for the Internet and in robotics. Multi-agent systems (MAS) are communities of problem-solving entities that can perceive and act upon their environments to achieve their individual goals as well as joint goals. The work on such systems integrates many technologies and concepts in arti?cial intelligence and other areas of computing. There is a full spectrum of MAS applications that have been and are being developed: from search engines to educational aids to electronic commerce and trade. Although commonly implemented by means of imperative languages, mainly for reasons of e?ciency, the agent concept has recently increased its in?uence in the research and development of computational logic-based systems. Computational logic, by virtue of its nature both in substance and method, providesawell-de?ned,general,andrigorousframeworkforsystematicallystu- ing computation, be it syntax, semantics, and procedures, or implementations, environments, tools, and standards. Computational logic approaches problems, and provides solutions, at a su?cient level of abstraction so that they generalize from problem domain to problem domain, a?orded by the nature of its very foundation in logic, both in substance and method, which constitutes one of its major assets.

Multi-agent systems are communities of problem-solving entities that can exhibit varying degrees of intelligence. They can perceive and react to their environment, they can have individual or joint goals, for which they can plan and execute actions. Work on such systems integrates many technologies and concepts in - ti?cial intelligence and other areas of computing as well as other disciplines. The agent paradigm has become widely popular and widely used in recent years, due to its applicability to a large range of domains, from search engines to edu- tional aids to electronic commerce and trade, e-procurement, recommendation systems, simulation and routing, and ambient intelligence, to cite only some. Computational logic provides a well-de?ned, general, and rigorous framework for studying syntax, semantics, and procedures for various capabilities and fu- tionalities of individual agents, as well as interaction amongst agents in multi-agent systems. It also provides a well-de?ned and rigorous framework for implemen- tions, environments, tools, and standards, and for linking together speci?cation and veri?cation of properties of individual agents and multi-agent systems. The CLIMA workshop series was founded to provide a forum for discussing, presenting, and promoting computational logic-based approaches in the design, development, analysis, and application of multi-agent systems.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 11th International Workshop on Computational Logic in Multi-Agent Systems, CLIMA-XI, held in Lisbon, Portugal in August 2010. The 14 papers included in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 31 submissions. The purpose of the CLIMA workshops is to provide a forum for discussing techniques, based on computational logic, for representing, programming and reasoning about agents and multi-agent systems in a formal way. CLIMA 2010 featured two thematic special sessions on norms and normative multi-agent systems and logics for games and strategic reasoning.

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Workshop on Computational Logic in Multi-Agent Systems, CLIMA XII, held in Barcelona, Spain, in July 2011. The 22 papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 43 submissions. The purpose of the CLIMA workshops is to provide a forum for discussing techniques, based on computational logic, for representing, programming and reasoning about agents and multi-agent systems in a formal way. This volume features five thematic special sessions: secrets and trust, knowledge and beliefs, logics for games and social choice, cooperation, logic and languages, and norms and normative multi-agent systems.