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Greetings! Thanks for visiting our Web page. We presume you're interested in learning
something about Intelligent Agents
and how they are used for computer and network
management. This Web site contains some basic information on this topic as well as a few Web links.
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1. -- Introduction to Intelligent Agents
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2. -- Common Uses of Intelligent Agents
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3. -- Intelligent Agents and Computer Management
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4. -- Diagnostic and Configuration Programs
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5. -- Intelligent Agents and Network Management
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6. -- Maintenance and Repair Programs
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7. -- E-Mail Filtering and Sorting Programs
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8. -- Network Monitoring and Protection Programs
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9. -- Trends and Expectations
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This Web page was developed by
Lynda Abbott Holly Siskovic Your suggestions or comments are welcome. |
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Introduction to Intelligent Agents
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Definition :
An intelligent agent is a software program that
"Sense of Agency" :
The amount of "intelligence" in an intelligent agent may vary, but this term
generally refers to a program's ability to operate autonomously
or to make decisions while it attempts to accomplish its user-assigned task.
One common method of discussing the amount of intelligence in an intelligent agent
is to classify it in terms of the strength of its "sense of agency."
What is an Intelligent Agent?
[NOTE: Some call independent agents ISAs (independent software agents).]
In addition, programs with "strong agency" often contain qualities said
to resemble human-like mentality and personality (anthropomorphism), such as
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Common Uses
of
Intelligent Agents
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Intelligent agents are now
being used or are in development for a variety of uses. Since these
software agents perform specific tasks as directed by the user, these programs
are often called "bots" (robots),
a nickname that quickly identifies them as on-line intelligent agents,
robot-like in function rather than form.
How are Intelligent Agents commonly used?
Intelligent agent software programs (examples) are in use for the following common functions:
The specific applications that we will discuss on the following pages are those listed
above under the Computing and
network systems management applications heading.
The list above is useful in showing the types of applications
being developed for intelligent agents and showing how and where general business
applicatoins fit into the overall
picture. [Some topics listed above are discussed on other Web sites
developed, like this one, as final Intelligent Agent projects for a
University of Texas
graduate course on Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems, taught in the summer
semester, 1998, by Dr. Ruth Palmquist.
(Click Dr. Palmquist's name to go to her Web page, then click the 1998 AI course listing
to view the class's Website and access Web pages on some of the other topics.)]
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Intelligent Agents
and
Computer Management
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In some situations, individual computers may not be linked to one another
through a local area network. However, individual computers may still be connected to the
Internet. Thus, there are two ways in which intelligent agents may work on stand-alone
computers or computers that are connected to the Internet.
The method by which the intelligent agent software is loaded onto the computer is an
issue because it relates, in part, to where and how the task-assignment is given to
the intelligent agent software. With some fairly simple programs running on stand-alone
computers, the intelligent agent software may simply be given a relatively structured
assignment. It then goes off and does its job. The more sophisticated the intelligent
agent software, or the methods available to it to
communicate with the user,
the more complicated the jobs it can do.
How are Intelligent Agents used for computer management?
In addition, intelligent agent software for stand-alone computers is widely in use among
computer manufacturers or computer sales and repair specialists to check out
computers and identifying potential problems so that they can be corrected.
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Diagnostic and
Configuration Programs
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Intelligent agents are often used to do check-ups on a computer's
operating system. Sometimes intelligent agent software can configure the computer
(installing programs, setting preferences, etc.) as well.
These types of applications are becoming more and more important as ways that computer equipment
can be made ready for use by the first user, the next user, and so on. These applications
also make it easier for re-sellers or re-users to identify and address problems on individual
computers.
How can Intelligent Agents be used for computer diagnosis
and configuration?
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Intelligent Agents
and
Network Management
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The most-used capabilities of intelligent agents are on networked computers.
How are Intelligent Agents used for network management?
Network administrators can use intelligent agent software to observe operations in progress,
monitor use of particular resources or programs, and provide fairly complex use reports
which allow the network administrators to decide, for example, when the network is likely
to need more storage capacity or when it may be necessary to do archiving of old data
to free up space on the hard drives of various individual computers.
These types of tasks are now often handled from the network server level rather than having
service personnel go around and access each computer individually. This can make an enormous
difference in the time it takes, for example, to upgrade versions of software used by each
of the computers in a company.
In addition, this type of network use of intelligent agent
software allows commercial software vendors to upgrade or trouble-shoot
the software directly, over the Internet and then via the company's network server.
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Maintenance and Repair Programs
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Computer networks are increasingly critical to an efficient and effective work
environment. Unfortunately, there are many things that can adversely affect an
optimally functioning network system, such as
How are Intelligent Agents used for network maintenance and/or repair?
Networked systems allow users access to many useful resources. Unfortunately, the
connected nature of networked systems means that the system may be adversely affected
through its connections. Whether the damage is intentional or unintentional,
intelligent agent software can help find out what went wrong and help get the system
up and running again much more quickly than was previously possible.
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E-Mail Filtering and Sorting Programs
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E-mail is a real boon in most businesses. It allows a much greater and
more efficient system of communication for many business users.
How are Intelligent Agents used to sort and filter e-mail?
However, e-mail is subject to the same types of problems that the "snail mail"
system has had problems with:
Intelligent agent software offers some fairly sophisticated techniques for
handling e-mail, such as
In addition to these duties, strong-agency intelligent agents can "learn" your preferences.
If you always ignore messages from Ralph, for example, then the intelligent agent may -- even
if you never instructed the agent to do this specifically -- learn that you don't consider
Ralph's messages important and, over time, may assign Ralph's messages lower and lower priority.
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Network Monitoring
and
Protection Programs
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Network monitoring intelligent agents can keep constant vigilence to protect a
company's network system and the information it contains.
How are Intelligent Agents used to monitor and protect programs?
Some of the uses of network monitoring intelligent agent software include
Yes, it's true, whenever you have a "monitoring" system, you have difficulties protecting
people's privacy. In business systems, however -- when everyone is supposedly "on
task," not sending e-mail greetings to personal friends --
it is becoming company policy to at least be able to search e-mail for abuses.
Fortunately, it's such a hassle to do this type of monitoring that there are few reported
cases of "invasion of privacy" lawsuits in the context of company networks. However,
know that anything that's sent over a network can, at least in theory, be
"monitored."
Privacy can handled with encryption. In a way, this is "full circle," since the first real
"supercomputers" were developed in World War II
to decode enemy transmissions. Alan Turing
helped in the success of the D-Day invasion of Normandy when his
"Enigma" machine decoded some Nazi transmissions and allowed the Allies to foil their plans.
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Trends and Expectations
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The trend for use of intelligent agents is increasing exponentially. There are
many new applications and more and more companies working on new applications.
What are the trends and expectations in use of Intelligent Agents?
The expectation is that this type of "collaborative" software will become increasingly
important and that the trend for intelligent agent software use will grow even more --
just as the number of people using the Internet and the Web has grown quickly.
Some people worry that software agents could be dangerous -- that "rogue" software agents could
damage whole networks of computers. In a sense, computer viruses
act independently in the same manner as intelligent agents, only most viruses aren't very "intelligent."
So what happens if an intelligent agent -- smarter and capable of "learning" -- gets loose on the
Net and starts to cause havoc?
It could happen. But -- just as with computer viruses -- ways of countering these problems
will arise.
In general, intelligent agents are an irresistable idea whose time has come. You'll see lots more
about them in the near future. Or -- maybe you won't see them, but they're out there NOW
and there will be increasing numbers of systems using them in ways that affect you,
whether you're aware of them or not!
Good Websites to Explore for More about Intelligent Agents
www.botspot.com -- This claims it's THE spot for "bots."
www.cs.umbc.edu/agents -- This is
a site for the University of Maryland Baltimore College. It contains lots of
links -- as well as some humor.
www.isi.edu/isd/AA97/agents
-- This is a site that grew from a 1997 conference on Autonomous Agents. This is their
Web "related sites" page.
Send us e-mail.