Structuring a Z specification to provide a formal framework for autonomous agent systems

Abstract. This paper describes a project which is using Z in the field of artifi-cial intelligence (AI) to provide a defining framework for agency and autonomy. Specifically, the use of Z has provided a means for escaping from the termino-logical chaos surrounding agency and autonomy that is prevalent not just in the AI community, but also in other areas of computer science. We outline how we have developed a Z specification which serves as a framework that satisfies three distinct requirements. First, a framework should be defining in the sense that it must precisely and unambiguously provide meanings for the common concepts and terms. Second, it should be designed in such a way as to enable alternative models of particular classes of system to be explicitly described, compared and evaluated. Third, the framework should be sufficiently well-structured to provide a foundation for subsequent development of increasingly more refined concepts. The state based specification language Z is accessible to researchers from a vari-ety of different backgrounds and allows us to provide a consistent unified formal account of an abstract agent system.