Characterizing negotiation spaces in HCCLS and CSCLS.
The core of the human-computer collaborative systems (HCCLS)(see figure 1) is a triangular relationship between two agents, the human user and one (or more) machine agent, plus the task (generally a computer-based activity). This triangle theoretically includes three interfaces: (1) between the human agent and the task, (2) between the artificial agents and the task and (3) between the two types of agents. We consider hereafter the two agent-task interfaces (2 and 3) as forming a single interface, because our symmetry postulate leads us to seek for the optimal overlapping between these two interfaces.
Figure 1: Basic architecture in collaborative learning systems: human-computer (left) or human-human (right)
The first systems to be described below (People Power and Memolab) do not include an explicit model of human-machine collaboration in the sense that ‘model’ can take in AI. The implicit model of negotiation is encrypted in the interface (e.g. in the difference between what each agent can do) and in the design of the computational agents (rule-based systems). The KANT system includes an explicit model of negotiation. The CSCL systems (BOOTNAP and C-CHENE) embody a model for negotiation within the mechanisms that the system provides for supporting collaboration and negotiation between human agents.
