Reference: Morignot, P. & Hayes-Roth, B. Why Does An Agent Act? Knowledge Systems Laboratory, December, 1994.
Abstract: We present a framework for active agents, that integrates both the goal achievement desire of traditional A.I. and the survival instinct of new A.I. This framework is based on motivations as (1) a control mechanism for internal and external goal selection and (2) a generative mechanism for internal goal generation (usually resulting in one-action plans). We then present an architecture and an implementation of the framework, that enables the agent designer to preset the motivational profile of the agent, or the agent itself to change its own motivations on the fly (if it is able to recognize certain features of the environment).
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