The blessing and curse of emergence in swarm intelligence systems

Abstract

In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, there is an increasing need for autonomous systems that can control systems that are beyond the capabilities of human operators. One of the key issues to be addressed in developing trusted autonomous systems is dealing with the phenomenon of “emergence”; either by taking advantage of emergence or avoiding emergence. Swarm intelligence systems, based on the interaction of a large number of relatively simples agents, rely on emergent intelligence for their problem solving capabilities. When used in trusted autonomous systems, the emergent behaviour of swarm intelligence systems can be both a blessing and a curse.