Emergence of communication in embodied agents: co-adapting communicative and non-communicative behaviours

In this paper I discuss in which conditions a population of embodied and situated agents that have to solve problems that requires cooperation might develop forms of ritualized interaction and communication. After reviewing the most relevant literature I will try to identify the the main open research problems and the most promising research directions. More specifially I will discuss: (a) the type of problems, the agents’ characteristics, and the environmental/social conditions that might facilitate the emergence of an ability to interact and communicate, and (b) the behavioral and cognitive capabilities that are crucial for the development of forms of communication of different complexity.