Agent-based engineering, the Web, and intelligence

TLDR

Web‑based agents hold promise for design and engineering, but integrating them into the Web requires reconciling HTTP’s client‑server model with the peer‑to‑peer protocol agents need. The paper surveys agent types and definitions, focuses on engineering agents, and proposes a clear definition of software agents. The author reviews agent classifications, defines software agents, and outlines strategies for integrating engineering agents with the Web. The proposed definition is unconventional and may apply only to a specific engineering agent type, yet it helps identify key technical implementation issues.

Abstract

Web based agents show great potential for design and engineering applications. To integrate engineering agents into the Web, researchers must resolve the conflict between HTTP's client server protocol and the peer to peer protocol required by agents. The author surveys the types and definitions of agents, eventually focusing on those useful for engineering, and on how they can be integrated with the World Wide Web. Because it is simply silly to discuss software agents without distinguishing them from other types of software, the author ventures to offer a definition. It will be iconoclastic and perhaps applicable only to a certain type of engineering agent. But it will be useful in identifying some technical implementation issues.