News & Announcements

• (6 Dec 2010) ArgMAS 2011 web page up.

New Book "Argumentation in Artificial Intelligence"  Edited by I. Rahwan and G. R. Simari with a forward by Johan van Benthem You can now order the book from Springer through this link.

New Journal "Argument & Computation"  Editors: Chris Reed, Floriana Grasso, Iyad Rahwan and Guillermo R. Simari Published by Taylor & Francis. Submit here.

Overview

This workshop will focus on the concepts, theories, methodologies, and applications of computational models of argumentation in building autonomous agents and multi-agent systems. Argumentation can be abstractly defined as the formal interaction of different arguments for and against some conclusion (eg, a proposition, an action intention, a preference, etc.). An agent may use argumentation techniques to perform individual reasoning, in order to resolve conflicting evidence or to decide between conflicting goals.   Multiple agents may also use dialectical argumentation in order to identify and reconcile differences between themselves, through interactions such as negotiation, persuasion, and joint deliberation.

The main goal of this workshop will be to bring together the community of researchers working on argumentation in multi-agent systems. The workshop has the following technical goals:

1. To explore the use of argumentation in practical reasoning.
2. To investigate how argumentation can be used to enable rational interaction between autonomous agents.
3. To explore the applicability of argumentation for solving a variety of problems in multi-agent systems, such as information exchange, negotiation, team formation, deliberation, etc.
4. To explore strategic reasoning and behaviour in argumentation-based interaction.
5. To understand how argumentation relates to other areas of multiagent research, such as game theory, agent communications, and planning.
6. To present and encourage implemented systems which demonstrate the use of argumentation in multi-agent systems.

The workshop will solicit papers looking at both theory and practice. In particular, the workshop aims at bridging the gap between the vast amount of work on argumentation theory and the practical needs of multi-agent systems research.

This workshop builds on the following successful workshops (see ArgMAS workshop series web site).

Topics

We solicit papers dealing with, but not limited to, the following areas:

• Computational models for argumentation
• Argumentation-based decision making
• Argumentation-based joint deliberation
• Argumentation-based persuasion
• Argumentation-based inquiry
• Argumentation-based negotiation and conflict resolution
• Argumentation and risk assessment
• Argumentation for legal reasoning
• Argumentation for electronic democracy
• Argumentation for coordination, cooperation and team formation
• Argumentation and game theory in multi-agent systems
• Human-agent argumentation
• Argumentation and preferences modelling
• Strategic behaviour in argument-based dialogues
• Deception, trust, reputation in argument-based interaction
• Computational complexity of argumentation dialogues
• Properties of argumentation dialogues (termination, success, etc.)
• Hybrid argumentation-based models
• Implemented argumentation-based multi-agent systems
• New application areas

Programme

• 0900 Opening
• 0900 - 0930:  Gratie, Florea:  Fuzzy labeling for argumentation frameworks
• 0930 - 1000:  Takahashi, Nambu:  Dynamic semantics for dynamic argumentation framework
• 1000 - 1030:  Maruyama, Hasegawa, Sawamura, Hagiwara:  Syncretic argumentation for multi-agents by lattice homomorphism and fusion
• 1030 - 1100:  Coffee break
• 1100 - 1130:  Letia, Groza:  Arguing with justifications between collaborating agents
• 1130 - 1200:  Caminada, Pigozzi, Podlaszewski: Manipulation in group argument evaluation
• 1200 - 1230:  Kakas, Amgoud, Kern-Isberner, Maudet, Moraitis:  ABA: argumentation based agents
• 1230 - 1400:  Lunch break
• 1400 - 1430:  Boella, van der Torre, Villata:  Argumentation patterns
• 1430 - 1500:  Parsons, Sklar, McBurney:  Using argumentation to reason with and about trust
• 1500 - 1530:  Van der Weide, Dignum:  Reasoning about and discussion preferences between arguments
• 1530 - 1600:  Coffee break
• 1600 - 1630:  Sklar, Azhar:  Towards the application of argumentation to interactive learning systems
• 1630 - 1700:  Sa:  Arguments collaboratively built by groups of agents
• 1700 - 1730:  General discussion
• 1730:  Close

Important Dates

Note that these dates are set by AAMAS and cannot be extended.

Submission Deadline:	28 January 2011
Notification of Acceptance/Rejection:	27 February 2011
Camera Ready Due:	7 March 2011
Workshop:	3 May 2011

Publication

The proceedings of ArgMAS will be printed and distributed at the workshop.

As done with previous ArgMAS workshops, it is planned to publish revised versions of the accepted full papers in an edited book as part of the Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNAI) series. This publication would have an ISBN number, and would be available both in printed form, as well as electronically on the SpringerLink online library.

Submission Procedure

As with previous workshops, each ArgMAS submission will be reviewed anonymously by two members of the expert program committee, who will exercise rigorous standards in evaluating the papers.

Contributors may submit either full papers (no longer than 18 pages) or a two page position statement that outlines their interests, background, and discussion of an aspect of the workshop theme.

Authors are encouraged to submit their papers in the Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) style, since this will be the format required for the planned post-proceedings book. Formatting instructions, as well as the style and sample files, can be found here: http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html

Papers must be submitted through a dedicated EasyChair site, which can be found at:

http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=argmas2011

At least one author of each accepted papers must register for the workshop.

Organising Committee

Co-Chairs:

• Peter McBurney (Corresponding Organiser)
  Department of Computer Science
  Ashton Building, University of Liverpool
  Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
  mcburney [at] liverpool.ac.uk
• Simon Parsons
  Department of Computer and Information Science
  Brooklyn College
  City University of New York
  2900 Bedford Avenue
  Brooklyn, 11210 NY
• Iyad Rahwan
  

  Masdar Institute of Science & Tech P.O.Box 54224 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA USA

ArgMAS Steering Committee

• Antonis Kakas (University of Cyprus, Cyprus)
• Nicolas Maudet (Universite Paris Dauphine, France)
• Peter McBurney (University of Liverpool, UK)
• Pavlos Moraitis (Paris Descartes University, France)
• Simon Parsons (City University of New York, USA)
• Iyad Rahwan (Masdar Institute, UAE, and MIT, USA)
• Chris Reed (University of Dundee, UK)

Program Committee

• TBA