Formalizing Properties of Agents

There is a wide gulf between the formal logics used by logicians to describe agents and the informal vocabulary used by people who actually build robotic agents. In an effort to help bridge the gap, this paper applies techniques borrowed from the field of formal software methods to develop a common vocabulary. Terms useful for discussing agents are given formal definitions. A framework for describing agents, tasks and environments is developed using the Z specification language. The terms successful, capable, perceptive, predictive, interpretive, rational and sound are then defined relative to this framework. The aims of this paper are to develop a precise, common vocabulary for discussing agents and to provide a basis for rational design of agents.