Decision Sciences Journal
Volume 31, Number 1
Winter 2000
Using Autonomous Software Agents to Create the Next Generation
of Decision Support Systems
Traci J. Hess
Department of Management Information Systems, University of Central
Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, email: thess@bus.ucf.edu
Loren Paul Rees and Terry R. Rakes
Department of Management Science and Information Technology,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg,
VA 24061, email: loren@vt.edu,
trakes@vt.edu
ABSTRACT. The purpose of this research is to explore
the promise of autonomous software agents in Decision Support
Systems (DSS). Because definitions of software agents extant
in the literature are divergent, we develop and provide a descriptive
definition useful for our purpose. The benefits of agents and
the particular characteristics of agents leading to DSS enrichment
are examined. To facilitate this we build a DSS described elsewhere
in the literature and enhance it with different types of autonomous
software agents. From this experience, a general framework for
agent-enabled DSS is suggested. It is concluded that such a DSS
in general will be more difficult to build than traditional DSS,
but at least some agent-enabled DSS will bring significant benefit
to users.
Subject Areas: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous
Systems, Decision Support Systems, Mobile Code, and Software
Agents. |