Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in Non-Cooperative Domains

In previous work [Zlotkin and Rosenschein, 1989a], we have developed a negotiation protocol and offered some negotiation strategies that are in equilibrium. This negotiation process can be used only when the "negotiation set" (NS) is not empty. Domains in which the negotiation sets are never empty are called cooperative domains; in general non-cooperative domains, the negotiation set is sometimes empty. In this paper, we present a theoretical negotiation model for rational agents in general noncooper at ive domains. Necessary and sufficient conditions for cooperation are outlined. By redefining the concept of utility, we are able to enlarge the number of situations that have a cooperative solution. An approach is offered for conflict resolution, and it is shown that even in a conflict situation, partial cooperative steps can be taken by interacting agents (that is, agents in fundamental conflict might still agree to cooperate up to a certain point). A Unified Negotiation Pro...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1990
• Where: AAAI
• Authors: Gilad Zlotkin, Jeffrey S. Rosenschein
• Keywords: AAAI 1990, Intelligent Agents, Negotiation, Negotiation Protocol, Negotiation Set