Automated support of regulated data exchange. A multi-agent systems approach

PhD ceremony: Mr. P. Dijkstra, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: Automated support of regulated data exchange. A multi-agent systems approach

Promotor(s): prof. H. Prakken

Faculty: Law

Many organizations exchange data, an activity which is often regulated by law. In practice, data exchanging organizations can engage in dialogues and use their own interpretations of the regulations to further their goals. Therefore, during the interactions a definitive balance is sought between the goals of the organizations, which may give rise to interesting dialogues. Ideally, these dialogues guarantee that an optimal and legitimate balance is found in the exchange of data. However, in practice this ideal is not always realized: the norms from regulations are not well known and local policies are more aimed at the protection of local data, which has as consequences that only a part of what can be exchanged legitimately is actually exchanged and that sometimes data is exchanged illegitimately.

The research aim of Dijkstra’s thesis has been to investigate how theories from multi-agent systems research, AI & Law research, and argumentation theory research can be further developed and applied in a realistic problem domain to provide the basis for automated support of data exchanging organizations in promoting their goals in the context of regulated data exchange. Based on the research, a multi-agent system architecture has been specified and implemented for the Dutch police domain.

The present research has proposed a novel view on the nature of dialogues in the context of regulated data exchange, i.e., as negotiation with embedded persuasion. An important contribution to the research literature has been the specification of realistic dialogue policies to assist the agents to balance their goals.