Plural-Soar: A Prolegomenon to Artificial Agents and Organizational Behavior
Abstract
In this chapter, we show how artificial intelligence (AI) can be applied to the study of organizations. Specifically, we construct an AI model of a small organization in which intelligent agents communicate and co-operate to accomplish a task. The task involves filling orders by retrieving items stored at various locations in a warehouse. Each agent is represented on its own computer using a sophisticated software architecture (called Soar) that is capable of serving as a basis for general intelligence and learning from experience. To frame this research we focus on this question: do the communication and memory capabilities of the agent affect which coordination scheme is most effective? We find that increasing agents' capabilities under certain conditions, actually degrade organizational performance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- AD1173634
Entities
People
- Allen Newell
- Johan Kjaer-hansen
- Kathleen Carley
- Michael Prietula
Organizations
- University of Amsterdam