PADUA Protocol: Strategies and Tactics

In this paper we describe an approach to classifying objects in a domain where classifications are uncertain using a novel combination of argumentation and data mining. Classification is the topic of a dialogue game between two agents, based on an argument scheme and critical questions designed for use by agents whose knowledge of the domain comes from data mining. Each agent has its own set of examples which it can mine to find arguments based on association rules for and against a classification of a new instance. These arguments are exchanged in order to classify the instance. We describe the dialogue game, and in particular discuss the strategic considerations which agents can use to select their moves. Different strategies give rise to games with different characteristics, some having the flavour of persuasion dialogues and other deliberation dialogues.