[agents] CfP: Third AAAI-Workshop on Multiagent Interaction without Prior Coordination (MIPC 2016)

[Stefano V. Albrecht]

*Call for Papers*

Third AAAI-Workshop on Multiagent Interaction without Prior Coordination 
(MIPC 2016)

13 February 2016, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

http://mipc.inf.ed.ac.uk/2016


*Description*

This workshop focuses on models and algorithms for multiagent 
interaction without prior coordination (MIPC). Interaction between 
agents is the defining attribute of multiagent systems, encompassing 
problems of planning in a decentralized setting, learning other agent 
models, composing teams with high task performance, and selected 
resource-bounded communication and coordination. There is significant 
variety in methodologies used to solve such problems, including symbolic 
reasoning about negotiation and argumentation, distributed optimization 
methods, machine learning methods such as multiagent reinforcement 
learning, etc. The majority of these well-studied methods depend on some 
form of prior coordination. Often, the coordination is at the level of 
problem definition. For example, learning algorithms may assume that all 
agents share a common learning method or prior beliefs, distributed 
optimization methods may assume specific structural constraints 
regarding the partition of state space or cost/rewards, and symbolic 
methods often make strong assumptions regarding norms and protocols. In 
realistic problems, these assumptions are easily violated – calling for 
new models and algorithms that specifically address the case of ad hoc 
interactions. Similar issues are also becoming increasingly more 
pertinent in human-machine interactions, where there is a need for 
intelligent adaptive behaviour and assumptions regarding prior knowledge 
and communication are problematic.

Effective MIPC is most likely to be achieved as we bring together work 
from many different areas, including work on intelligent agents, machine 
learning, game theory, and operations research. For instance, game 
theorists have considered what happens to equilibria when common 
knowledge assumptions must be violated, agent designers are faced with 
mixed teams of humans and agents in open environments and developing 
variations on planning methods in response to this, etc. The goal of 
this workshop is to bring together these diverse viewpoints in an 
attempt to consolidate the common ground and identify new lines of attack.

This workshop is the third edition of the MIPC workshop series, 
previously held at AAAI-15 in Austin, Texas, USA, and AAAI-14 in Quebec 
City, Canada.


*Topics*

The workshop will discuss research related to multiagent interaction 
without prior coordination, as outlined in the workshop description 
above. A non-exclusive list of relevant topics includes:

- Agent coordination and cooperation without prior coordination
- Learning and adaptation in multiagent systems without prior coordination
- Team formation and information sharing in ad hoc teamwork settings
- Human-machine interaction without prior coordination
- Teammate/opponent modelling and plan recognition without prior 
coordination
- Game theory/incomplete information applied to ad hoc agent coordination
- Empirical and theoretical investigations of issues arising from prior 
assumptions
- Ad hoc coordination in the presence of adversaries


*Format*

The one-day workshop will include keynote talks from invited speakers, 
sessions of oral workshop paper presentations, and an “open problems and 
discussion” session.


*Submission*

The workshop follows the formatting guidelines for standard paper 
submissions to the AAAI-16 main track. Workshop papers can be submitted 
via EasyChair and will be selected based on a single-blind peer review 
process.


*Talk-Only Option*

We offer a talk-only option for authors of relevant papers that have 
been published in journals or conference proceedings. Interested authors 
are encouraged to send their paper (in PDF or PS format) and publication 
details via e-mail to mipc2016 at easychair.org. If the paper is deemed 
relevant for the workshop, we will allocate a presentation slot for the 
authors in the workshop program.


*Journal Special Issue*

The Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems plans to 
publish a special issue on Multiagent Interaction without Prior 
Coordination (http://mipc.inf.ed.ac.uk/journal). While the MIPC workshop 
is primarily a venue for early ideas and discussion, the special issue 
is a platform for more developed ("mature") work. We encourage authors 
of MIPC workshops to submit extended versions of their workshop papers 
to the special issue. (Note that there will be no special treatment for 
authors of MIPC workshops.)


*Organising Committee*

Program chairs:
- Stefano Albrecht (University of Edinburgh)
- Katie Genter (University of Texas at Austin)
- Somchaya Liemhetcharat (A*STAR Singapore)

Advisory committee:
- Subramanian Ramamoorthy (University of Edinburgh)
- Peter Stone (University of Texas at Austin)
- Manuela Veloso (Carnegie Mellon University)


*Further Information*

For more information, please visit the workshop website at 
http://mipc.inf.ed.ac.uk/2016.

-- 
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.