Events Calendar

PhD Defense - Johnathan Mell

PhD Candidate: Johnathan Mell
Date: Monday, March 9th, 2020
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: SAL 213
Committee: Dr. Jonathan Gratch (Chair), Dr. Nate Fast, Dr. Sven Koenig

Title: A Framework for Research in Human-Agent Negotiation


Abstract:

Increasingly, automated agents are interacting with humans in highly social interactions. Many of these interactions can be characterized as negotiation tasks. There has been broad research in negotiation techniques between humans (in business literatures, e.g.), as well a great deal of work in creating optimal agents that negotiate with each other. However, the creation of effective socially-aware agents requires fundamental basic research on human-agent negotiation. Furthermore, this line of enquiry requires highly customizable, fully-interactive systems that are capable of enabling and implementing human-agent interaction. Previous attempts that rely on hypothetical situations or one-shot studies are insufficient in capturing truly social behavior.

This dissertation showcases my invention and development of the Interactive Arbitration Guide Online (IAGO) platform, which enables rigorous human-agent research. IAGO has been designed from the ground up to embody core principles gleaned from the rich body of research on how people actually negotiate. I demonstrate several examples of how IAGO has already yielded fundamental contributions towards our understanding of human-agent negotiation. I also demonstrate how IAGO has contributed to a community of practice by allowing researchers across the world to easily develop and investigate novel algorithms. Finally, I discuss future plans to use this framework to explore how humans and machines can establish enduring and profitable relationships through repeated negotiations.

Location: Henry Salvatori Computer Science Center (SAL) - 213

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Lizsl De Leon