Protensity in agent-oriented software. Role, paths, example
Remarking that applied research in the Semantic Web area focuses on tools expressed in formal specifications (i.e., on syntax and semantics), the paper asserts the need to consider pragmatics too, as the only component involving directly the user (through the process of semiosis). Since in most intellectual activities users could be assisted by agents, the target is to develop affordable (i.e., purely software) agents able to interpret, evaluate and/or process protensional information contained in multimodal (predominantly sound-based) messages; the agents should have a powerful temporal dimension and should be conceptualised as "Virtual x", where x stays for various music-related activities. In approaching the target, the paper has four objectives: a) defending the rationale of the undertaking; b) explaining the new concepts proposed and outlining the approach; c) setting out the design space for the first "protensional agents"); d) assessing the approach via a toy problem (designing a virtual disc jockey). The paper concludes that: Computer-Aided Semiosis is a promising field of agent-oriented research also for sound-based messages; protensity should be investigated for both music-related activities and the temporal dimension of bodiless agents; the solution given to the toy problem indicates that the approach is workable and could be applied in an experimental model of a virtual guitar teacher in 2008.
protensity computer-aided semiosis (cas) protensional agents (pa) as e-maieuts agent-oriented software (aos) virtual disc jockey (vdj)