"An agent is an encapsulated computer system that is situated in some environment and that is capable of flexible, autonomous action in that environment in order to meet its design objectives."
- So, an agent is:
- A problem solving entity.
- Situated in an environment.
- Designed to achieve a specific purpose.
- Autonomous.
- Capable of exhibiting flexible problem solving behavior in pursuit of its design objectives.
- Therefore, agents
- Communicate at the Knowledge Level.
- Agents make run-time decisions about their interactions and respond to interactions that were not foreseen at design time.
- When agents interact there is usually an organizational context.
