Logics for multiagent systems

Abstract

Logic can be a powerful tool for reasoning about multiagent systems. First of all, logics provide a language in which to specify properties-properties of an agent, of other agents, and of the environment. Ideally, such a language then also provides a means to implement an agent or a multiagent system, either by somehow executing the specification, or by transforming the specification into some computational form. Second, given that such properties are expressed as logical formulas that form part of some inference system, they can be used to deduce other properties. Such reasoning can be part of an individual agent's capabilities, but it can also be done by a system designer or the potential user of the agents. Third, logics provide a formal semantics in which the sentences from the language are assigned a precise meaning: if one manages to come up with a semantics that closely models the systemunder consideration, one then can verify properties either of a particular system(model checking) or of a number of similar systems at the same time (theorem proving). This, in a nutshell, sums up the three main characteristics of any logic (language, deduction, semantics), as well as the three main roles logics play in systemdevelopment (specification, execution, and verification). Copyright © 2012, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. All rights reserved.