News & Announcements

• (20 Feb 2012) Workshop date set to 4 June.
• (15 Dec 2011) ArgMAS 2012 web page up.

We are saddened to learn of the death of Professor Jonathan Adler, Professor of Philosophy at Brooklyn College, City University of New York and we send our commiserations to his family and friends. Professor Adler was a noted philosopher of argumentation and of epistemology. He was our invited speaker at the First International Workshop on Argumentation in Multi-Agent Systems (ArgMAS 2004), held in New York City in 2004, where he gave a typically thought-provoking and witty talk.
There is a page of memorial recollections here.

Overview

Submissions are invited for the Ninth International Workshop on Argumentation in Multi-Agent Systems (ArgMAS2012), to be held in Valencia, Spain as part of AAMAS 2012.

ArgMAS 2012 will focus on the concepts, theories, methodologies, and applications of computational models of argument in creating 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). A single agent may use argumentation techniques to perform individual reasoning, 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 ArgMAS 2012 will be to bring together the community of researchers working on argumentation in multi-agent systems. The workshop has the following technical goals:

(a) To explore the use of argumentation in practical reasoning.
(b) To investigate how argumentation can be used to enable rational interaction between autonomous agents.
(c) 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.
(d) To explore strategic reasoning and behaviours in argumentation-based interaction.
(e) To better understand how argumentation relates to other areas of multiagent research, such as game theory, agent communications, and planning.
(f) To present and encourage implemented systems which demonstrate the use of argumentation in multi-agent systems.

The workshop solicits papers looking at either theory or practice, or both. 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.

Different agents within a multiagent system potentially have differential access to information and capabilities, different beliefs, different preferences and desires, and different goals and values.   A key aspect of the scientific study of multiagent systems therefore is the development of methods and procedures for identifying, assessing, reconciling, and arbitrating between such differences.  Market mechanisms and voting procedures are two methods for dealing with such differences. Argumentation theory is another.  In recent years, formal theories of argument and argument interaction have been proposed, and this has led to the study of computational models of argument.  The ArgMAS series of workshops has focused on computational argumentation within the context of agent reasoning and multiagent systems.

The workshop will be of interest to anyone studying or applying default reasoning in autonomous agents, single-agent reasoning and planning under uncertainty, strategic single-agent reasoning in the context of potential competitor actions, and the rational resolution of the different beliefs and intentions of multiple agents within multiagent systems.

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

• SESSION 1: DELIBERATION AND NEGOTIATION (Chair: Peter McBurney)
  • 0900 - 0925: Latifa Al-Abdulkarim, Katie Atkinson and Trevor Bench-Capon: A strategy for deliberation using combinations of values
  • 0925 - 0950: Eric Kok, John-Jules Meyer, Henry Prakken and Gerard Vreeswijk: Testing the benefits of structured argumentation in multi-agent deliberation dialogues
  • 0950 - 1015: Alice Toniolo, Timothy Norman and Katia Sycara: An empirical study of argumentation schemes for deliberative dialogue
• SESSION 2: APPLICATIONS (Chair: Eric Kok)
  • 1050 - 1115: Andy Applebaum, Zimi Li, Ali Raza Syed, Karl Levitt, Simon Parsons, Jeff Rowe and Elizabeth Sklar: Firewall configuration: An application of multiagent metalevel argumentation
  • 1115 - 1140: Cristhian Ariel David Deagustini, Santiago Emanuel Fulladoza Dalibon, Sebastian Gottifredi, Marcelo A. Falappa, Carlos Ivan Chesnevar and Guillermo Ricardo Simari: Supporting defeasible argumentation processes over relational databases
  • 1140 - 1205: Yuqing Tang, Elizabeth Sklar, and Simon Parsons: An argumentation engine: ArgTrust
• INVITED TALK (Chair: Peter McBurney)
  • 1205 - 1300: Nicolas Troquard: Logical Models of Action and Agency: History and Modern Developments
• SESSION 3: FOUNDATIONS AND THEORY (Chair: Carlos Chesnevar)
  • 1420 - 1445: Barbara Dunin-Keplicz, Alina Strachocka, Andrzej Szalas and Rineke Verbrugge: A paraconsistent approach to speech acts
  • 1145 - 1510: Cristian Gratie and Adina Magda Florea: SCC-Recursiveness revisited
  • 1510 - 1535: Ioan Alfred Letia and Adrian Groza: Justificatory and explanatory argumentation for committing agents
  • 1525 - 1600: Mark Snaith and Chris Reed: Justified argument revision in agent dialogue
• SESSION 4: FOUNDATIONS AND THEORY (Chair: Iyad Rahwan)
  • 1630 - 1655: Pablo Pilotti, Ana Casali and Carlos Chesnevar: A belief revision approach for argumentation-based negotiation with cooperative agents
  • 1655 - 1720: Adam Wyner, Katie Atkinson and Trevor Bench-Capon: Towards a formal language for argumentation schemes
  • 1720 - 1745: Ashwag Maghraby, David Robertson, Adela Grando and Michael Rovatsos: Bridging the specification protocol gap in argumentation

Important Dates

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

Submission Deadline:	28 February 2012
Notification of Acceptance/Rejection:	27 March 2012
Camera Ready Due:	10 April 2012
Workshop:	Monday 4 June 2012

Publication

The proceedings of ArgMAS will be printed and distributed at the workshop.  As 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 Computer Science (LNCS) series. This publication will have an ISBN number, and would be available both in printed form, as well as electronically in SpringerLink online.

Submission Procedure

As with previous workshops, each ArgMAS submission will be reviewed by two members of the expert program committee.  Contributors may submit either full papers (no longer than 20 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 submitted should be in PDF format, and must be submitted through our dedicated EasyChair site, here:

https://www.easychair.org/account/signin.cgi?conf=argmas2012

Submitted papers should give full names and contact details for all authors. At least one author of each accepted papers must register for the workshop.

Organisers

The workshop organizers are:

• Peter McBurney (Contact Organiser)
  Department of Informatics, King's College London
  Tel: + 44 20 7848 1253
  peter.mcburney [a*t] kcl.ac.uk
• Simon Parsons
  Department of Computer and Information Science
  Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 11210 NY USA
  parsons [a*t] sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu
  
• Iyad Rahwan
  

  Masdar Institute of Science & Technology 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 (King's College London, 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 (to be confirmed)

• Leila Amgoud, IRIT, Toulouse, France
• Katie Atkinson, University of Liverpool, UK
• Jamal Bentahar, Concordia University, Canada
• Elizabeth Black, King's College London, UK
• Guido Boella, Università di Torino, Italy
• Carlos Chesnevar, Universitat de Lleida, Spain
• Yannis Dimopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus
• Sylvie Doutre, IRIT, Toulouse, France
• Paul Dunne, University of Liverpool, UK
• Rogier van Eijk, Utrecht University, Netherlands
• Anthony Hunter, University College, London, UK
• Antonis Kakas, University of Cyprus, Cyprus
• Nikos Karacapilidis, University of Patras, Greece
• Nicolas Maudet, Universite Paris Dauphine, France
• Jarred McGinnis, Press Association, UK
• Sanjay Modgil, King's College London, UK
• Pavlos Moraitis, Paris Descartes University, France
• Timothy Norman, University of Aberdeen, UK
• Nir Oren, University of Aberdeen, UK
• Fabio Paglieri, ISTC, Rome Italy
• Enric Plaza, Spanish Scientific Research Council, Spain
• Henry Prakken, Utrecht University and University of Groningen, The Netherlands
• Chris Reed, University of Dundee, UK
• Michael Rovatsos, University of Edinburgh, UK
• Hajime Sawamura, Niigata University, Japan
  
• Guillermo Simari, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Argentina
• Yuqing Tang, Carnegie-Mellon University, USA
  
• Francesca Toni, Imperial College, London, UK
• Paolo Torroni, Università di Bologna, Italy
• Bart Verheij, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
  
• Gerard Vreeswijk, Utrecht University, Netherlands
• Tom van der Weide, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
  
• Douglas Walton, University of Windsor, Canada
• Simon Wells, University of Dundee, UK