Utility Revision in A Java-based Group Decision Support System

We propose a utility revision mechanism for persuasion among Java-based agents in the Group Choice Design Support System (GCDSS). The GCDSS helps a group decision to make a reasonable choice from alternatives. In the GCDSS, agents negotiate with each other on behalf of their users. The GCDSS is written in the Java language with IBM's Aglets Software Development Kit (ASDK). By using the Java language, the GCDSS becomes platform-independent. The ASDK enables us to build agents that are robust with respect to security. In the GCDSS, each user manages a system for an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and a Java-based agent. Each user subjectively constructs a decision hierarchy and determines the various weights of alternatives by using AHP. Based on the hierarchy and the weights, agents negotiate with each other on behalf of their users. In the negotiation, agents persuade each other in order to reach an agreement. If an agent is persuaded, the agent tries to revise the utility for the state of her decision hierarchy by adjusting the value of pairwise comparisons in the AHP. In this paper, we propose a utility-revision strategy that uses criteria in the user's subjective decision hierarchy for the AHP. The advantage of the utility revision mechanism is that persuasion between agents is facilitated and agents can more e ectively come to consensus.