Instructions-Based Semantics of Agent Mediated Interaction

In environment-based coordination scenarios, indirect forms of interaction have often been considered as an interesting alternative to direct communication based on speech acts, yet with no comparable formal study of semantics. In this paper, we explore this new direction by considering the case where agents interact with each other through coordination artifacts - embodied abstractions provided by the MAS infrastructure to realise a specific coordination task. Our semantic approach is based on the idea that each agent interacting with a coordination artifact is assigned operating instructions for using that artifact, which are used (i) as a plan for executing the required interaction protocol, (ii) to support a form of social commitments based on protocols and timeouts, and (iii) to relate actions and perceptions to the agent rationality.