Keynotes

Web of Things (WoT)

End user development of Web of Things composition
Research Scientist Mahda Noura, Siemens AG, Germany

The Web of Things standard has simplified access to IoT devices, making smart environments more accessible. Empowering end users—especially those without technical expertise—to personalize and compose these environments is increasingly important. However, this remains a complex task due to challenges in interoperability, usability, and usefulness. This talk explores the key barriers preventing effective end-user development in WoT environments and outlines research directions aimed at overcoming these challenges.

Knowledge Graphs (KG)

Associate Prof. Sabrina Kirrane, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria

Multi-Agent Systems (MAS)

Multi-agent coordination using distributed constraint optimization and auction-based techniques
Senior Research Scientist Gauthier Picard, ONERA Toulouse, France

This presentation delves into techniques that facilitate coordination and cooperation among agents within multi-agent systems. These decision-making agents interact to achieve collective objectives. For example, a group of agents might coordinate their paths to prevent collisions or their access to scarce resources to avoid conflicts. The focus is primarily on two approches: distributed constraint optimization (DCOPs) and auction-based decision-making. In DCOPs, the collective decision problem is cast as a constraint optimization problem that is decentralized among the agents. A solution to such problems involves a protocol implemented by agents to coordinate their decisions. These protocols operate as distributed counterparts of conventional search or inference algorithms commonly employed in constraint processing. In auction-based coordination, agents employ established auction mechanisms where collective decisions entail allocating tasks or resources to agents based on bids they place on sets of alternatives. Various auction schemes exist, each with distinct performance and operational characteristics, ranging from centralized combinatorial auctions to fully decentralized consensus-based auctions.

Trustworthy and Responsible AI

Dr. François Picard, Danish Technological Institute, Denmark