A Common Ontology of Agent Communication Languages: Modeling Mental Attitudes and Social Commitments using Roles
Reference: Boella, Damiano, Hulstijn, van der Torre (2006). Applied Ontology 3(1-3). Source file: ao07b.pdf. URL
Summary
The authors propose a common ontology that bridges the two dominant semantic traditions for Agent Communication Languages: mental-attitude-based semantics (FIPA-ACL) and social-commitment-based semantics (Singh, Colombetti). The unifying device is the role: each agent plays role instances in dialogue sessions, and both beliefs/intentions and commitments are attributed to role instances rather than to private mental states, sidestepping the unverifiability problem.
They develop Role-SL, a BDI logic extended with roles and dialogue sessions, then show translation schemes from FIPA speech acts and from action/propositional commitment semantics into this role-based ontology. The framework accommodates mixed dialogues (e.g., persuasion intertwined with negotiation) that neither tradition handles cleanly alone.
Key Ideas
- Roles as first-class carriers of public mental attitudes.
- Role-SL: extension of FIPA-SL with role instances and dialogue sessions.
- Mappings from FIPA-ACL and commitment-based ACLs into one ontology.
- Public beliefs/intentions sidestep mental-state unverifiability.
- Distinguishes action commitments (request/propose) from propositional (assert/challenge).
Connections
Conceptual Contribution
- Claim: Mental-attitude and social-commitment ACL semantics can be unified under a common ontology by attributing both to roles instantiated in dialogue sessions, rather than to private agent minds.
- Mechanism: Extends FIPA-SL into Role-SL (BDI + roles + dialogue sessions); provides translation schemes from FIPA speech acts and from action/propositional commitment semantics; handles mixed dialogues (persuasion + negotiation).
- Concepts introduced/used: Roles, BDI, Commitment-based Semantics, Mental Attitudes, Mentalistic Semantics, Public Semantics, Verifiable Semantics, Dialogue Sessions, FIPA-ACL, Speech Act Theory, Ontologies, Agent Communication Languages
- Stance: formal-semantic
- Relates to: Bridges the two traditions typified by FIPA-ACL (mentalist) and Agent Communication And Institutional Reality (commitment-based); uses ontology machinery catalogued in Handbook On Ontologies.
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