Multiagent Systems: Algorithmic, Game-Theoretic, and Logical Foundations

Multiagent systems consist of multiple autonomous entities having different information and/or diverging interests. This comprehensive introduction to the field offers a computer science perspective, but also draws on ideas from game theory, economics, operations research, logic, philosophy and linguistics. It will serve as a reference for researchers in each of these fields, and be used as a text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses.

Emphasizing foundations, the authors offer a broad and rigorous treatment of their subject, with thorough presentations of distributed problem solving, non-cooperative game theory, multiagent communication and learning, social choice, mechanism design, auctions, coalitional game theory, and logical theories of knowledge, belief, and other aspects of rational agency. For each topic, basic concepts are introduced, examples are given, proofs of key results are offered, and algorithmic considerations are examined. An appendix covers background material in probability theory, classical logic, Markov decision processes, and mathematical programming.

‘This is by far the best text in the field of multiagent systems, one of the fastest-growing areas in computer science.’ – Stuart Russell, University of California at Berkeley

‘Through excellent side-by-side presentation of the main approaches in computer science, game theory and economics, this pioneering textbook is a major advance towards the education of a better-equipped generation of computer scientists as well as social scientists.’ – Ehud Kalai, Northwestern University

‘Multiagent Systems touches all aspects of multiagent systems’from artificial intelligence to algorithms to game theory, to logic, and beyond-and presents, for the first time, all this cutting-edge research in a textbook form. Written by leaders in this research area, this book is certain to become the textbook of choice for classes on multiagent systems.’ – Noam Nisan, Hebrew University