Agent-organized networks for multi-agent production and exchange

As multi-agent systems grow in size and complexity, social networks that govern the interactions among the agents will directly impact system behavior at the individual and collective levels. Examples of such large-scale, networked multi-agent systems include peer-to-peer networks, distributed information retrieval, and agent-based supply chains. One way of dealing with the uncertain and dynamic nature of such environments is to endow agents with the ability to modify the agent social network by autonomously adapting their local connectivity structure. In this paper, we present a framework for agent-organized networks (AONs) in the context of multi-agent production and exchange, and experimentally evaluate the feasibility and efficiency of specific AON strategies. We find that decentralized network adaptation can significantly improve organizational performance. Additionally, we analyze several properties of the resulting network structures and consider their relationship to the observed increase in organizational performance.