Publication - Efficient Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning through Automated Supervision

Authors: Zhang, Chongjie; Abdallah, Sherief; Lesser, Victor
Title: Efficient Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning through Automated Supervision
Abstract: Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) algorithms suffer from slow convergence and even divergence, especially in large-scale systems. In this work, we develop a supervision framework to speed up the convergence of MARL algorithms in a network of agents. The framework defines an organizational structure for automated supervision and a communication protocol for exchanging information between lower-level agents and higher-level supervising agents. The abstracted states of lower-level agents travel upwards so that higher-level supervising agents generate a broader view of the state of the network. This broader view is used in creating supervisory information which is passed down the hierarchy. We present a generic extension to MARL algorithms that integrates supervisory information into the learning process, guiding agents' exploration of their state-action space.
Keywords: Communication Protocol, Distributed AI, Learning, Multi-Agent Systems
Publication: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, pp. 1365 - 1368
Editor: Padgham, Parkes, Müller and Parsons
Location: Estoril, Portugal
Publisher: IFMAAS
Date: 2008
Sources: PDF: /Documents/cjzhang/czhang_aamas08.pdf
Notes: (Short paper)
Reference: Zhang, Chongjie; Abdallah, Sherief; Lesser, Victor. Efficient Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning through Automated Supervision. Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, Padgham, Parkes, Müller and Parsons, ed., IFMAAS, pp. 1365-1368. 2008. (Short paper)
bibtex: 
@inproceedings{Zhang-451,
  author    = "Chongjie Zhang and Sherief Abdallah and Victor
               Lesser",
  title     = "{Efficient Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning
               through Automated Supervision}",
  booktitle = "Proceedings of the Seventh International
               Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent
               Systems",
  editor    = "Parkes Padgham and ller Mu\̈ and Parsons",
  publisher = "IFMAAS",
  pages     = "1365-1368",
  year      = "2008",
  address   = "Estoril, Portugal",
  url       = "http://mas.cs.umass.edu/paper/451",
}