A framework for creating systems capable of adapting and dealing with norms based on software agents

Abstract The software for distributed intelligent systems, also known as Multi-agent Systems (MASs), must possess the capability to comply with environmental constraints, such as norms, and exhibit self-adaptive mechanisms to autonomously modify their behavior in response to contextual changes and handle adverse situations independently. However, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding of the concepts of self-adaptation and normative systems, as well as their behavior and interactions, which is often not adequately supported by software tools. This research introduces an extension to the Framework for Normative Agent Java Simulation (JSAN), enabling implement normative adaptive agents based on an architecture capable of dealing with norms through self-adaptation. The extended framework provides support for the key properties, namely self-adaptation, norms, and normative reasoning. To validate the efficacy of this approach, a virtual marketplace study case is presented, showcasing the agents' ability to adapt to norms while facilitating user transactions and product purchases.