SOFTWARE MOBILE AGENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Software mobile agents refer to programs that can migrate between devices or nodes in a
network, performing tasks and interacting with their environment. Overall, software mobile
agents have the potential to transform various industries and applications, but their
development and deployment require careful consideration of the challenges and
limitations involved. They are programs that perform tasks autonomously, often in a
specific environment or on behalf of a user. They can be seen as virtual representatives,
acting with a degree of independence and intelligence. Agents can: Perceive their
environment through sensors or data inputs, Reason and decide based on that information,
Act upon their decisions, affecting the environment. These agents are:
1. Autonomous: They operate independently, making decisions without direct human
intervention.
2. Mobile: They can move between devices, networks, or systems, adapting to new
environments.
3. Intelligent: They possess a degree of intelligence, allowing them to learn, reason, and
solve problems.
RELATED WORK ON SOFTWARE AGENTS
Eurecom et al. (2021) proposed a software agent architecture for network management"
Cheikhrouhou, Conti, Marcus, et al., (2020) developed a Software Agent Architecture for
Network Management: Case Studies and Experience Gained" from the Journal of Network
and Systems Management
Sheldon, et al., (2021) proposed a Multi-Agent System Case Studies in Command and
Control, Information Fusion and Data Management"
Types of software agents include:
1. Simple Agents: Perform a single task, like a script
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2. Intelligent Agents: Use AI and learning to adapt and improve
3. Multi-Agent Systems: Multiple agents interacting and coordinating
4. Autonomous Agents: Act independently, making decisions without direct human input
5. Semi-Autonomous Agents: Combine human and algorithmic decision-making
Examples of software mobile agents include:
1. Network monitoring agents
2. Fault diagnosis agents
3. Security agents (e.g., intrusion detection, virus scanning)
4. Management agents (e.g., configuration, updates)
5. Information retrieval agents
6. Autonomous vehicles (e.g., drones, self-driving cars)
7. Smart home automation agents
8. Personal assistant agents (e.g., chatbots, virtual assistants)
MOBILE AGENTS OFFER BENEFITS LIKE
1. Efficient use of resources
2. Real-time data collection and analysis
3. Enhanced system performance
4. Improved decision-making
5. Increased autonomy and adaptability
SOFTWARE AGENTS CHALLENGES
Among these challenges are including:
1. Autonomy vs. Control: Balancing independent decision-making with human oversight.
2. Trust and Reliability: Ensuring agents act in users' best interests and maintain data
privacy.
3. Complexity and Interoperability: Coordinating multiple agents and systems seamlessly.
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4. Learning and Adaptation: Agents must adapt to changing environments and learn from
experiences.
5. Explainability and Transparency: Understanding agent decision-making processes and
actions.
6. Safety and Security: Protecting against malicious agents or unauthorized access.
7. Human-Agent Collaboration: Effectively integrating human and agent decision-making.
8. Ethical Considerations: Addressing potential biases, accountability, and value alignment.
9. Scalability and Performance: Managing large-scale agent systems efficiently.
10. Standards and Regulations: Establishing common standards and regulatory frameworks.
CASES OF SOFTWARE AGENTS
Here are some case studies of software agents in various industries:
1. Virtual Assistants:
- Amazon's Alexa
- Google Assistant
- Apple's Siri
2. Customer Service Chatbots:
- IBM Watson-powered chatbots for customer support
- Microsoft Bot Framework for customer service
3. Fraud Detection:
- SAS Fraud Management software
- FICO Falcon Fraud Detection
4. Recommendation Systems:
- Netflix's personalized movie recommendations
- Amazon's product suggestion engine
5. Autonomous Vehicles:
- Waymo's self-driving cars
- Tesla's Autopilot system
6. Healthcare:
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- IBM Watson for Oncology
- Medtronic's (link unavailable) system for diabetes management
7. Finance:
- BlackRock's Aladdin investment management platform
- JP Morgan's COIN trade processing platform
8. Supply Chain Management:
SAP's Intelligent Supply Chain Management
- Maersk's TradeLens shipping platform
9. Smart Homes:
- Samsung SmartThings
- Google Nest
10. Cybersecurity:
- Darktrace's AI-powered threat detection
- Cylance's AI-driven endpoint security
These case studies demonstrate how software agents are applied in various industries to
improve efficiency, decision-making, and customer experiences.
HETEROGENEOUS AGENT INTEROPERABILITY
Ontology-based thesauri have been an important part of research in Natural Language
Processing. As the
need for distributed software
configurations has
risen, Ontologies
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have become increasingly important. Ontologies have evolved as a convenient way to
permit agents using diverse vocabularies to specify common concepts. There are two main
approaches (1) creating a large general ontology, or (2) much domain-specific ontology.
Most ontologies or thesauri are constructed manually, however, methods have been
developed for automated construction of such [2]. In our Virtual Information Processing
Agent Research (VIPAR) case study, agents use a flexible RDF (Resource
Description Framework) ontology to transform heterogeneous HTML documents to XML
tagged documents, and their ability to rapidly cluster newspaper articles that arrive in an
asynchronous manner.
Agents move from one machine to another by changing agent hosts. The ontologies move
with theagents. When an agent is received at an agent host, the agent host provides it with
an agent context. This agent context is the agent’s only point of contact with the machine it
is running on and provides machine specific environments for the agent to work. The agent
is not allowed to directly communicate with the agent host or other agents. This provides an
architectural layer for security in the ORMAC system (written in JAVA,ORMAC uses
Remote Method Invocation (RMI) to communicate among agents.
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CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION
In conclusion, software mobile agents are a versatile and efficient solution for performing
tasks and data processing across distributed systems. They offer the ability to execute code
on remote servers, gather information, and return results to the original location without
continuous human intervention. This technology is increasingly being used in various
industries for automation, optimization, and scalability. With the potential for cost savings,
improved performance, and enhanced security, software mobile agents have become a
valuable tool in the realm of distributed computing.
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REFERENCES
Booch, G., Object-Oriented Design with Applications, 2 ed. 2021, Redwood City:
Benjamin/Cummings. 608 pages.
Chin, R.S. and S.T. Chanson, "Distributed, Object-Based Programming Systems," ACM
Computing
Demarco, T. and P.J. Plauger, Structured Analysis and System Specification. 2020, New
York: Prentice
Hall. 352 pages.
of Software Maintenance and Evolution, 2022. 14(3)
Patel, M., Forward: Advances in the Evolutionary Synthesis of Intelligent Agents, 1st ed.
Advances in
Sheldon, F.T., K. Jerath, and H. Chung, "Metrics for Maintainability of Class Inheritance
Hierarchies," Jr.
Subrahmanian, V.S., et al., Heterogenous Agent Systems, 1st ed. 2020, Cambridge: MIT
Press pages.
Surveys, 2021.
The Evolutionary Synthesis of Intelligent Agents, ed. P.J. Mukesh, V. Honavar, and K.
Balakrishnan.
