Digital Persona Project
Digital Persona Project
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Resource Base.

This resource base is in the early days of construction. While it will grow significantly, it is not our goal to be comprehensive. This is done elsewhere, in the private sector and in academia. Our focus is on conceptual and social issues. If you are a member of the Persona Project and have references you would like to contribute, please send them to us.






Areas (to be) covered include:





Our own research paper(s)





What is an Agent?

    All software agents are programs, but not all programs are agents. Beyoubd that, no consensus has emerged on what exactely an agents it. A very basic list of characteristic to differentiate between a normal program (e.g. a word processor) and an agent includes:
    Program Agent
    Static. Dynamic.
    Direct manipulation: user initiates every action. Indirect manipulation: autonomous.
    Non-interactive. Dialogs are fully scripted. Actions may be initiated by either the user or the agent system.
    Interacts with user and with other agents.
    Never changes, unless changed by a human or an error in the program. Adapts, learns.
    Runs one time, and then stops to be run again when called. Persistent. Continues to run over time.
    Predictable: does what you tell it to, even if you didn't mean what you said. Interprets what you mean, not what you say. In the best of circumstances, actions are based on rules, but they may change over time, or in reaction to different circumstances.
    Follows instructions. May initiate actions, as well as respond to instructions.
    Stays in one place. May be mobile, traveling to other servers.



  • Feldman, S & Yu, E.: Intelligent Agents: A Primer. Searcher, Vol 7, No. 9 October, 1999
  • Foner, Leonard. "What's an Agent?"
  • Weiss, Micheal A gentle introduction to agents and their applications
    n.d.
  • A Perspective On Agent Research, 1999
  • Pattie Maes: Agents that Reduce Work and Information Overload. Communications of the ACM, 1994
    Pattie Maes: Software Agents. A Tutorial, 1997



Digital Persona


Agents and Privacy / Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs)


Convenience vs. Control