Multiple negotiations among agents for a distributed meeting scheduler

Abstract

We present a method for multi-agent negotiation for implementing a distributed meeting scheduler. In the meeting scheduler, an agent negotiates with other agents about making a public schedule by referring user's private schedules and preferences. We propose a new persuasion method for multi-agent negotiation for reflecting private preferences. We call the method multiple negotiations. In order to reach a consensus effectively, we propose an effective preference revision mechanism based on the multi attribute utility theory. We have implemented a distributed meeting scheduler to show how effectively the multiple negotiations can be used. The result shows that the multiple negotiations are effective in supporting group decision-making for scheduling a meeting.