It described and formalised an agent-hierarchy that included objects, agents and autonomous agents, each with different levels of functionality, and provided a precise vocabulary with which to discuss agent systems. This paper reviews a large variety of further work that has built on that foundation in several ways. First, the framework itself has been refined to detail important aspects of agent functionality such as goal generation and adoption.
Neutral objects give rise to server agents when they adopt goals.
Development and application of a formal agent framework. IEEE Press, 1997. Development and application of a formal agent framework. IEEE Press, 1997.