Global convergence of local agent behaviors

Abstract

Many multi-agent systems seek to reconcile two apparently inconsistent constraints. The system has a global overall objective. However, the agents have only local information to guide their actions. Such systems are presently more art than science. They often exhibit regularities (such as exponential convergence) that we do not understand, and we do not know how to improve their functioning in a disciplined manner. In this paper, we develop a simple statistical model for such systems that can enhance both our intuitions about their functioning and our ability to engineer them, and apply it to three systems that we have constructed.