Exception handling in agent systems

A critical challenge to creating effective agent-based systems is allowing them to operate effectively when the operating environment is complex, dynamic, and error-prone. In this paper we will review the limitations of current "agent-local" approaches to exception handling in agent systems, and propose an alternative approach based on a shared exception handling service that is "plugged", with little or no customization, into existing agent systems. This service can be viewed as a kind of "coordination doctor"; it knows about the different ways multi-agent systems can get "sick", actively looks system-wide for symptoms of such "illnesses", and prescribes specific interventions instantiated for this particular context from a body of general treatment procedures. Agents need only implement their normative behavior plus a minimal set of interfaces. We claim that this approach offers simplified agent development as well as more effective and easier to modify exception handling behavior.

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