Your browser does not fully support modern features. Please upgrade for a smoother experience.
Submitted Successfully!
Thank you for your contribution! You can also upload a video entry or images related to this topic. For video creation, please contact our Academic Video Service.
Version Summary Created by Modification Content Size Created at Operation
1 Eng Editorial Office -- 213 2026-09-24 04:57:38

Video Upload Options

We provide professional Academic Video Service to translate complex research into visually appealing presentations. Would you like to try it?
Cite
If you have any further questions, please contact Encyclopedia Editorial Office.
Zheng, L. Multi-Agent Systems. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60426 (accessed on 05 October 2026).
Zheng L. Multi-Agent Systems. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60426. Accessed October 05, 2026.
Zheng, Lionel. "Multi-Agent Systems" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60426 (accessed October 05, 2026).
Zheng, L. (2026, September 24). Multi-Agent Systems. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/60426
Zheng, Lionel. "Multi-Agent Systems." Encyclopedia. Web. 24 September, 2026.
Multi-Agent Systems
Edit

Multi-agent systems are computational systems composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents—autonomous software entities that perceive their environment through sensors and act upon it through actuators—operating within a shared environment to collectively solve problems that are beyond the capacity of any single agent. Each agent is characterized by autonomy, social ability, reactivity to environmental change, and proactivity toward goals, and agents may be homogeneous or heterogeneous in their capabilities, knowledge, and objectives [1]. The system-level behavior emerges from local interactions governed by communication protocols, negotiation strategies, and coordination mechanisms, rather than from centralized control. Key structural dimensions include the degree of agent autonomy, the topology of the interaction network, the distribution of information, and the conflict or cooperation relationships among agent goals. Agents may cooperate to achieve joint objectives, compete through auction or bidding mechanisms, or negotiate through argumentation protocols, and system properties such as global coherence, stability, and scalability emerge from these local interaction rules [2]. The theoretical foundation distinguishes multi-agent systems from distributed systems in that agents are intentionally autonomous and goal-directed, rather than merely executing distributed functions under central orchestration, and from expert systems in that problem-solving is inherently social and interactive [3].

multi-agent systems intelligent agents autonomous agents distributed artificial intelligence

References

  1. Michael Wooldridge; Nicholas R. Jennings; Intelligent agents: theory and practice. Knowl. Eng. Rev. 1995, 10, 115-152. [CrossRef]
  2. Nicholas R. Jennings; Katia Sycara; Michael Wooldridge; A Roadmap of Agent Research and Development. Auton. Agents Multi-Agent Syst. 1998, 1, 7-38. [CrossRef]
  3. Wooldridge M. An Introduction to MultiAgent Systems; Wiley: New York, NY, USA, 2002. ISBN: 9780470519462.
More
Upload a video for this entry
Information
Contributor MDPI registered users' name will be linked to their SciProfiles pages. To register with us, please refer to https://encyclopedia.pub/register : Eng Editorial Office
View Times: 7
Entry Collection: Eng
Revision: 1 time (View History)
Update Date: 28 Sep 2026
Notice
You are not a member of the advisory board for this topic. If you want to update advisory board member profile, please contact office@encyclopedia.pub.
OK
Confirm
Only members of the Encyclopedia advisory board for this topic are allowed to note entries. Would you like to become an advisory board member of the Encyclopedia?
Yes
No
${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
There is no comment~
${ textCharacter }/${ maxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
${ selectedItem.replyTextCharacter }/${ selectedItem.replyMaxCharacter }
Submit
Cancel
Confirm
Are you sure to Delete?
Yes No
Academic Video Service