Multiagent AI implementations an emerging software engineering trend

A model is presented for the design and implementation of software systems using multiagent artificial intelligence (AI) and concurrent software engineering techniques. The stages of conceptualization. design and implementation are defined by AI methods. It is proposed that software systems be designed through knowledge acquisition, specification, and multiagent implementations. Multiagent implementations are proposed here to facilitate a fault-tolerant software-design methodology, applying recent research that has led to fault-tolerant AI systems. A particular approach to. and an AI formulation for designing fault-free and fault-tolerant software is presented, based on the agent models of computation. An approach using object-oriented design, coupled with a novel multi-kernel approach, is presented. A system is defined by many communicating pairs of kernels, each defining a part of the system, as specified by object-level knowledge acquisition. An overview of agent morphisms and algebras is presented and applied to the design. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.