Multiagent Systems meet the Semantic Web in the Aether

A multiagent systems paradigm has emerged in which autonomous, cooperating processes use rich communication languages and protocols to exchange information and knowledge, share goals and tasks, and coordinate their activities. This vision offers ways to exploit new opportunities of and solve problems created by the Internet and Web. Yet multiagent systems have not yet found broad application. The vision is sound and is being re-invigorated by two new developments: semantic web languages, which provide stronger knowledge sharing technology, and pervasive computing environments, whose requirements match the strengths of multiagent systems. This talk will illustrate these ideas with examples of ongoing research involving intelligent web based systems, smart spaces, adaptable sensor networks and robust ad hoc networking environments.