Trust and multi-agent systems: applying the diffuse, default model of trust to experiments involving artificial agents
We argue that the notion of trust, as it figures in an ethical context, can be illuminated by examining research in artificial intelligence on multi-agent systems in which commitment and trust are modeled. We begin with an analysis of a philosophical model of trust based on Richard Holtons interpretation of P. F. Strawsons writings on freedom and resentment, and we show why this account of trust is difficult to extend to artificial agents (AAs) as well as to other non-human entities. We then examine Margaret Urban Walkers notions of default trust and default, diffuse trust to see how these concepts can inform our analysis of trust in the context of AAs. In the final section, we show how ethicists can improve their understanding of important features in the trust relationship by examining data resulting from a classic experiment involving AAs.
trust multi-agent systems artificial agents default trust diffuse trust