<s>
In	O
computer	B-General_Concept
science	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
software	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
or	O
software	O
AI	B-Application
is	O
a	O
computer	O
program	O
that	O
acts	O
for	O
a	O
user	O
or	O
other	O
program	O
in	O
a	O
relationship	O
of	O
agency	O
,	O
which	O
derives	O
from	O
the	O
Latin	O
agere	O
(	O
to	O
do	O
)	O
:	O
an	O
agreement	O
to	O
act	O
on	O
one	O
's	O
behalf	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Agents	O
are	O
colloquially	O
known	O
as	O
bots	O
,	O
from	O
robot	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
may	O
be	O
embodied	O
,	O
as	O
when	O
execution	O
is	O
paired	O
with	O
a	O
robot	B-Algorithm
body	O
,	O
or	O
as	O
software	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
chatbot	B-Application
executing	O
on	O
a	O
phone	B-Application
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Siri	B-Application
)	O
or	O
other	O
computing	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
may	O
be	O
autonomous	O
or	O
work	O
together	O
with	O
other	O
agents	O
or	O
people	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
interacting	O
with	O
people	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
chatbots	B-Application
,	O
human-robot	O
interaction	O
environments	O
)	O
may	O
possess	O
human-like	O
qualities	O
such	O
as	O
natural	B-General_Concept
language	I-General_Concept
understanding	I-General_Concept
and	O
speech	O
,	O
personality	O
or	O
embody	O
humanoid	O
form	O
(	O
see	O
Asimo	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Related	O
and	O
derived	O
concepts	O
include	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
(	O
in	O
particular	O
exhibiting	O
some	O
aspects	O
of	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
,	O
such	O
as	O
reasoning	O
)	O
,	O
autonomous	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
(	O
capable	O
of	O
modifying	O
the	O
methods	B-Language
of	O
achieving	O
their	O
objectives	O
)	O
,	O
distributed	O
agents	O
(	O
being	O
executed	O
on	O
physically	O
distinct	O
computers	O
)	O
,	O
multi-agent	O
systems	O
(	O
distributed	O
agents	O
that	O
work	O
together	O
to	O
achieve	O
an	O
objective	O
that	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
accomplished	O
by	O
a	O
single	O
agent	O
acting	O
alone	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
mobile	B-Operating_System
agents	I-Operating_System
(	O
agents	O
that	O
can	O
relocate	O
their	O
execution	O
onto	O
different	O
processors	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
attributes	O
of	O
an	O
autonomous	O
software	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
are	O
that	O
agents	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
agent	O
"	O
describes	O
a	O
software	O
abstraction	B-Application
,	O
an	O
idea	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
concept	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
OOP	B-Language
terms	O
such	O
as	O
methods	B-Language
,	O
functions	O
,	O
and	O
objects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
unlike	O
objects	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
defined	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
methods	B-Language
and	O
attributes	O
,	O
an	O
agent	O
is	O
defined	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
its	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Agents	O
have	O
flexible	O
behavior	O
:	O
reactive	B-Architecture
,	O
proactive	B-Operating_System
,	O
social	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Agents	O
have	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
thread	B-Operating_System
of	O
control	O
but	O
may	O
have	O
more	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Expert	B-Application
systems	I-Application
are	O
not	O
coupled	O
to	O
their	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Expert	B-Application
systems	I-Application
are	O
not	O
designed	O
for	O
reactive	B-Architecture
,	O
proactive	B-Operating_System
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Expert	B-Application
systems	I-Application
do	O
not	O
consider	O
social	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
rational	O
agents	O
)	O
are	O
not	O
just	O
computer	O
programs	O
:	O
they	O
may	O
also	O
be	O
machines	O
,	O
human	O
beings	O
,	O
communities	O
of	O
human	O
beings	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
firms	O
)	O
or	O
anything	O
that	O
is	O
capable	O
of	O
goal-directed	O
behavior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
may	O
offer	O
various	O
benefits	O
to	O
their	O
end	O
users	O
by	O
automating	O
complex	O
or	O
repetitive	O
tasks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
organizational	O
and	O
cultural	O
impacts	O
of	O
this	O
technology	O
that	O
need	O
to	O
be	O
considered	O
prior	O
to	O
implementing	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
general	O
implementing	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
to	O
perform	O
administrative	O
requirements	O
provides	O
a	O
substantial	O
increase	O
in	O
work	O
contentment	O
,	O
as	O
administering	O
their	O
own	O
work	O
does	O
never	O
please	O
the	O
worker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hence	O
,	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
may	O
provide	O
the	O
basics	O
to	O
implement	O
self-controlled	O
work	O
,	O
relieved	O
from	O
hierarchical	O
controls	O
and	O
interference	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
conditions	O
may	O
be	O
secured	O
by	O
application	O
of	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
for	O
required	O
formal	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
cultural	O
effects	O
of	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
include	O
trust	O
affliction	O
,	O
skills	O
erosion	O
,	O
privacy	O
attrition	O
and	O
social	O
detachment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Those	O
who	O
start	O
relying	O
solely	O
on	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
may	O
lose	O
important	O
skills	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
relating	O
to	O
information	O
literacy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
act	O
on	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
behalf	O
,	O
a	O
software	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
needs	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
complete	O
understanding	O
of	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
profile	O
,	O
including	O
his/her	O
personal	O
preferences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
users	O
start	O
relying	O
on	O
their	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
more	O
,	O
especially	O
for	O
communication	O
activities	O
,	O
they	O
may	O
lose	O
contact	O
with	O
other	O
human	O
users	O
and	O
look	O
at	O
the	O
world	O
with	O
the	O
eyes	O
of	O
their	O
agents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
consequences	O
are	O
what	O
agent	O
researchers	O
and	O
users	O
must	O
consider	O
when	O
dealing	O
with	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
technologies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
of	O
an	O
agent	O
can	O
be	O
traced	O
back	O
to	O
Hewitt	B-Application
's	I-Application
Actor	I-Application
Model	I-Application
(	O
Hewitt	O
,	O
1977	O
)	O
-	O
"	O
A	O
self-contained	O
,	O
interactive	O
and	O
concurrently-executing	O
object	O
,	O
possessing	O
internal	O
state	O
and	O
communication	O
capability.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
be	O
more	O
academic	O
,	O
software	B-General_Concept
agent	I-General_Concept
systems	O
are	O
a	O
direct	O
evolution	O
of	O
Multi-Agent	O
Systems	O
(	O
MAS	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MAS	O
evolved	O
from	O
Distributed	O
Artificial	B-Application
Intelligence	I-Application
(	O
DAI	O
)	O
,	O
Distributed	O
Problem	O
Solving	O
(	O
DPS	O
)	O
and	O
Parallel	O
AI	B-Application
(	O
PAI	O
)	O
,	O
thus	O
inheriting	O
all	O
characteristics	O
(	O
good	O
and	O
bad	O
)	O
from	O
DAI	O
and	O
AI	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Sculley	O
’s	O
1987	O
“	O
Knowledge	B-Device
Navigator	I-Device
”	O
video	O
portrayed	O
an	O
image	O
of	O
a	O
relationship	O
between	O
end-users	O
and	O
agents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
User	B-Protocol
agents	I-Protocol
,	O
or	O
personal	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
,	O
are	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
that	O
take	O
action	O
on	O
your	O
behalf	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
category	O
belong	O
those	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
that	O
already	O
perform	O
,	O
or	O
will	O
shortly	O
perform	O
,	O
the	O
following	O
tasks	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Monitoring	B-Application
and	I-Application
Surveillance	I-Application
Agents	I-Application
are	O
used	O
to	O
observe	O
and	O
report	O
on	O
equipment	O
,	O
usually	O
computer	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
agent	O
may	O
detect	O
a	O
decline	O
in	O
the	O
construction	O
industry	O
for	O
an	O
economy	O
;	O
based	O
on	O
this	O
relayed	O
information	O
construction	O
companies	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
make	O
intelligent	O
decisions	O
regarding	O
the	O
hiring/firing	O
of	O
employees	O
or	O
the	O
purchase/lease	O
of	O
equipment	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
best	O
suit	O
their	O
firm	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
other	O
examples	O
of	O
current	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
include	O
some	O
spam	O
filters	O
,	O
game	O
bots	O
,	O
and	O
server	O
monitoring	O
tools	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Search	B-Application
engine	I-Application
indexing	I-Application
bots	O
also	O
qualify	O
as	O
intelligent	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mail	B-Protocol
transfer	I-Protocol
agent	I-Protocol
-	O
For	O
serving	O
E-mail	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Microsoft	O
Outlook	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
communicates	O
with	O
the	O
POP3	B-Protocol
mail	B-Protocol
server	I-Protocol
,	O
without	O
users	O
having	O
to	O
understand	O
POP3	B-Protocol
command	O
protocols	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Wireless	O
beaconing	O
agent	O
is	O
a	O
simple	O
process	O
hosted	O
single	O
tasking	O
entity	O
for	O
implementing	O
wireless	B-Operating_System
lock	I-Operating_System
or	O
electronic	O
leash	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
more	O
complex	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
hosted	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Use	O
of	O
autonomous	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
(	O
deliberately	O
equipped	O
with	O
noise	O
)	O
to	O
optimize	O
coordination	O
in	O
groups	O
online	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Software	B-General_Concept
bots	I-General_Concept
are	O
becoming	O
important	O
in	O
software	O
engineering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Data	B-Application
Loss	I-Application
Prevention	I-Application
(	O
DLP	O
)	O
Agents	O
-	O
examine	O
user	O
operations	O
on	O
a	O
computer	O
or	O
network	O
,	O
compare	O
with	O
policies	O
specifying	O
allowed	O
actions	O
,	O
and	O
take	O
appropriate	O
action	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
software	B-General_Concept
agents	I-General_Concept
to	O
work	O
together	O
efficiently	O
they	O
must	O
share	O
semantics	B-Application
of	O
their	O
data	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Agent	O
systems	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
model	O
real-world	O
systems	O
with	O
concurrency	B-Operating_System
or	O
parallel	O
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
agent	O
uses	O
its	O
access	O
methods	B-Language
to	O
go	O
out	O
into	O
local	O
and	O
remote	O
databases	O
to	O
forage	O
for	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
access	O
methods	B-Language
may	O
include	O
setting	O
up	O
news	O
stream	O
delivery	O
to	O
the	O
agent	O
,	O
or	O
retrieval	O
from	O
bulletin	O
boards	O
,	O
or	O
using	O
a	O
spider	O
to	O
walk	O
the	O
Web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
first	O
done	O
by	O
having	O
a	O
bot	O
identify	O
itself	O
in	O
the	O
user-agent	B-Protocol
HTTP	B-Protocol
header	O
when	O
communicating	O
with	O
a	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Next	O
,	O
the	O
bot	O
must	O
also	O
always	O
respect	O
a	O
site	O
's	O
robots.txt	O
file	O
since	O
it	O
has	O
become	O
the	O
standard	O
across	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
web	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
like	O
respecting	O
the	O
robots.txt	O
file	O
,	O
bots	O
should	O
shy	O
away	O
from	O
being	O
too	O
aggressive	O
and	O
respect	O
any	O
crawl	O
delay	O
instructions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
daemons	B-Operating_System
in	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
