IDA’s Computational Implementation

1. IDA’s Computational Implementation Lee McCauley

2. Overview • Problem Review • IDA Walkthrough • Action instigation • Perception • Ideas • Information categories • Databases • Constraint Satisfaction • Workspace and Focus • Behavior Net • “Consciousness” • Deliberation • Real Example • MANRD (if time)

3. The Problem • Every few years sailors must be reassigned • Currently this assignment is done by ~280 individuals called “detailers” • Navy would like to • Increase retention • Increase moral • Increase manning percentages • Lower costs

4. Self instigating action • Instigate correspondence with a sailor I should check for rollovers AS1 John Smith is 10 months from his PRD AS1 John Smith, You are 10 months from your projected rotation date. Please be thinking of assignments that you might want. V/R, IDA

5. Perception • Lowest-level perception codelets use regular expressions to search the email for data • Slipnet implemented as a (mostly) feed-forward network • Each idea within an email is determined to be in one overall category based on the information extracted • Information gleaned from emails are put into the appropriate category/slot in the workspace based on the idea category

6. Date Email Name SSN Idea Rating Location Preference Perception Example • Read sailor emails and extract pertinent data Date: Tue, 09 Jan 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Robert A. Valens <rvalens@navy.mil.us> Subject: new job IDA, I am approaching my 9 month PRD window. Please find me a job. My SSN is 545769801. It would be just great if you can find something in Norfolk. Thanks, AK3 Valens Date: Tue, 09 Jan 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Robert A. Valens <rvalens@navy.mil.us> Subject: new job IDA, I am approaching my 9 month PRD window. Please find me a job. My SSN is 545769801. It would be just great if you can find something in Norfolk. Thanks, AK3 Valens

7. Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN 519884939 IDA, Thanks for the jobs you found for me. But I would not like to take either of them. Can you please try to find something else? Thanks, AK1 Mark Legault Idea Categories • Responds to various kinds of emails Next Requisition Cycle Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: new assignment IDA, I am AK1 Mark Allen Legault. Please find me a job. Thanks, AK1 Legault Date: Wed, 10 Jun 2001 1:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN: 519884939 IDA, I prefer to take the second job. Thanks, AK1 Legault Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN 519884939 IDA, This is Mark again. Thanks for the jobs you found for me. However, I am not totally satisfied with them. Can I wait for the next requisition cycle? Thanks, AK1 Mark Legault No SSN Non-Specific Emails Junk Mails Job Refusals Accept a Job

8. Job Refusal Job Preference Multiple Ideas • Recognizes multiple ideas within a single correspondence Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN 519884939 IDA, This is Mark again. Thanks for the jobs you found for me. However, I don’t really like any of those jobs. Could you try to find me something in Texas? Thanks, AK1 Mark Legault Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN 519884939 IDA, This is Mark again. Thanks for the jobs you found for me. However, I don’t really like any of those jobs. Could you try to find me something in Texas? Thanks, AK1 Mark Legault Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Mark Legault <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN 519884939 IDA, This is Mark again. Thanks for the jobs you found for me. However, I don’t really like any of those jobs. Could you try to find me something in Texas? Thanks, AK1 Mark Legault

9. Database Perception • Gather necessary data from Navy formatted databases (SQL queries created at runtime) - Personnel - Job Requisitions - Training - Rollovers - AutoCost (PCS cost calculator)

10. Fitness values from IDA’s workspace Constraint Satisfaction • Evaluate jobs for sailors (Linear Functional)

11. Workspace and Focus • Workspace is a Hashtable with the information categories used as keys • The focus uses a subset of workspace categories (also as a Hashtable) and has methods to transmit data to and from long-term memory

12. Behavior Net • Nodes in the network pass activation over links • The structure of the network is stored in an XML file • Allows experimentation with different behavior configurations • Makes tools possible that can be used by non-programmers • Facilitates easy maintenance • Each behavior is a template that spawns a new version of itself with variables bound whenever a behavior codelet tells it to instantiate

13. “Consciousness” • Coalition Manager • A pseudo-clustering mechanism • Based on highest average association strength • Spotlight Manager • Based on highest average activation • Broadcast • Hashtable of tagged information taken from the codelets in the spotlight • Each codelet is a subclass of BaseCodelet which contains the code necessary to receive the broadcast

14. Timeline is displayed as dates are adjusted Deliberation • Create and Adjust Job Transition Timelines Finally, Travel time to the job is calculated to determine when the sailor will arrive. Detach date, Take up month, and Training (if needed) are put in first If Training is needed, then travel time to the school is added Next, Leave time is put in

15. Real Example • Negotiate with sailors AK3 Wayne Alan Lewis, These are the 2 jobs that seem perfect for you: Take 09067 billet at FIGHTER SQUADRON - VF 101 stationed at VIRGINIA BEACH. Take up month 9907. Take 57012 billet at COMMANDER NAVAL AIR FORCE, US ATLANTIC FLEET stationed at NORFOLK. Take up month 9906. Please, make your choice. V/R IDA AK3 Wayne Alan Lewis, These are the 1 jobs that best suit you. I'm sure you would like them. Take 49146 billet at NAVAL AIR STATION NIF stationed at POINT MUGU. Take up month 9905. Please, make your choice. V/R IDA AK3 Wayne Lewis, I did not offer that job. Please check the list again. V/R IDA. AK3 Wayne Alan Lewis, I've got you posted to go to POINT MUGU. Should receive your orders soon. V/R IDA. From: Wayne Alan Lewis<wlewis@navy.us> Subject: SSN 241410214 IDA, Thanks for the jobs you found for me. But I would not like to take either of them. Can you please try to find something else? Thanks, AK3 Wayne Lewis From: Wayne Allen Lewis <wlewis@navy.us> Subject: SSN: 241410214 IDA, I prefer to take 12345 billet. Thanks, AK3 Lewis From: Wayne Allen Lewis <allen@navy.us> Subject: SSN: 241410214 IDA, I prefer to take billet 49146. Thanks, AK3 Lewis Date: Tue, 09 Jun 2001 16:53:23 +0000 From: Wayne Alan Lewis <wlewis@navy.us> Subject: SSN: 241410214 IDA, I am AK3 Wayne Alan Lewis . I would really like for you to find me a job in Norfolk. Thanks, AK3 Lewis

16. The New IDA • IDA became MANRD (Multi-Agent Naval Resource Distributor) • MANRD consists of a “Sailor Agent” for every sailor and a “Command Agent” for every command • Agents converse with their humans through email and a web interface • The agents meet in a simulated marketplace

17. The Task • Increase sailor satisfaction with the detailing process • Give commands some input • Reduce the number of human detailers needed • Increase manning percentages at sea • Increase retention

18. Why Individual Agents? Advocacy!!

19. Challenge #1 – Managing Agents • > 300,000 sailors • ~ 45,000 commands • Each with their own agent

20. Response #1 – Managing Agents • Not as bad as it seems • Only about 5000 agents will need to be active at a time • Remove or replace “expensive” IDA modules • “Consciousness” • Behavior Nets • Sparse Distributed Memory • Share modules between agents

21. Challenge #2 – Make the sailor happy • Happy sailors work better and are more likely to “Stay Navy” • Sailors have the perception that they are not getting all of their job options

22. Response #2 – Make the sailor happy • The system should show the sailor ALL the jobs • Denote those jobs for which the sailor is applicable • Be able to tell the sailor why they are NOT applicable for certain jobs if the sailor asks • Have separate lists of suggested jobs • Those that the Navy would like as determined by the Navy agent • Those that the sailor would like as determined by his or her agent • Add incentives where appropriate

23. Challenge #3 – Involve the commands • Commands currently have no say in who they get

24. Response #3 – Involve the commands • Commands have their own agent • They can provide a preference for job applicants • Let commands give more specific information about the needs of a given job • Allocate some incentives to the commands for use in hiring

25. Challenge #4 – Maintain Navy readiness • A completely open market will not increase sea manning (within the Navy budget) • Probably wouldn’t increase moral as some sailors (or commands) would feel that they lost out • Straight optimization suffers from similar problems along with a lack of advocacy

26. Response #4 – Maintain Navy readiness • Navy determines the environment • Navy determines minimum acceptable match fitness (e.g. through optimization technique) • Navy sets hard constraints (policies that must be adhered to) • Navy allocates some incentives where needed

27. Points to Leave With • Artificial agents should be used to focus the efforts of the human agents – not replace them • Ultimately, it’s not about how well the artificial agents or the computer system can perform; it’s about the perception of the sailors.

28. Questions? Discussion?