FeNAs: a fuzzy e-negotiation agents system

Abstract

This paper overviews an experimental fuzzy e-negotiation agents system, FeNAs, that can support automated negotiation in the presence of imprecise information. The system uses the principles of fuzzy constraint-based reasoning involving fuzzy constraint modeling, satisfaction and propagation. It is demonstrated with a prototype for the used car-trading problem. The system supports multi-issue negotiations where offers consist of a number of issues that can include the price of the car and other value-added services such as warranty and the value of the trade-in car. The agents exchange offers on the basis of the information available and negotiation strategies used by each party. Information available to both the buyer and the seller can include the make, model, color, transmission, age and mileage of the car. Each agent has also some private information including preferences, priorities and financial constraints that are not available to other agents. This information can be imprecise where constraints, preferences and priorities are defined as fuzzy constraints describing the level of satisfaction of an agent (and its user) with different potential solutions. The overall objective of an agent is to find a solution that maximizes the agent's utility at the highest possible level of constraint satisfaction subject to its acceptability by other agents. During negotiation the agents follow a common protocol of negotiation and individual negotiation strategies.