Enhancing Expert System Intelligent Agents Using Game Theory

OF THESIS Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Computer Engineering The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico December, 2008 Enhancing Expert System Intelligent Agents Using Game Theory by Craig Michael Vineyard B.S., University of New Mexico, 2006 M.S., Computer Engineering, University of New Mexico, 2008 Abstract An agent is generally defined as an entity capable of perceiving its environment and accomplishing a particular action without explicit instruction. Blindly taking directives without thinking is typically not intelligent, so rather a software agent is deemed intelligent if it may be characterized as situated, autonomous, flexible, and social. To behave intelligently requires decision making. Numerous fields such as economics, philosophy, and mathematics have made contributions to the realm of decision making, although none are applicable in a truly novel domain. The mathematical discipline of game theory seeks to devise the optimal strategy in strategic scenarios. Although this approach is not applicable in generalized environments it is effective in specific domains. An expert system is an intelligent agent approach to mimic human problem solving in a specific domain, and is an extension of the production system architecture. However, just as humans may take different approaches while arriving at the same solution to a problem, expert system decision making performance too is dependent upon implementation specific attempts to arrive at theAn agent is generally defined as an entity capable of perceiving its environment and accomplishing a particular action without explicit instruction. Blindly taking directives without thinking is typically not intelligent, so rather a software agent is deemed intelligent if it may be characterized as situated, autonomous, flexible, and social. To behave intelligently requires decision making. Numerous fields such as economics, philosophy, and mathematics have made contributions to the realm of decision making, although none are applicable in a truly novel domain. The mathematical discipline of game theory seeks to devise the optimal strategy in strategic scenarios. Although this approach is not applicable in generalized environments it is effective in specific domains. An expert system is an intelligent agent approach to mimic human problem solving in a specific domain, and is an extension of the production system architecture. However, just as humans may take different approaches while arriving at the same solution to a problem, expert system decision making performance too is dependent upon implementation specific attempts to arrive at the