{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03mb6wj31","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"},{"id":"https:\/\/www.isni.org\/000000041937028X","id-type":"ISNI","asserted-by":"publisher"},{"id":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q1640731","id-type":"wikidata","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya","acronym":["UPC"]}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T20:33:58Z","timestamp":1768941238164,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya","license":[{"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:p>(English) The topic of this thesis is the engineering of values for autonomous agents. This is realised through the formulation, design and implementation of new functionalities for autonomous agents that enable reasoning in terms of values. In particular, we argue for the role of prescriptive norms as value-promoting mechanisms. Hence, value-driven agents should be able to autonomously determine which regulations (such as obligations, permissions or prohibitions) make the Multiagent System they inhabit better promote some values of interest. We lay the foundations of our work on Schwartz\u2019s Theory of Basic Human Values to establish a consequential connection between values and norms, considering that norms are aligned with respect to values if the outcomes they incentivise satisfy the goals that capture the meaning of values in a particular context. Another feature of Schwartz\u2019s theory that has been previously overlooked in the literature is the strong social dimension of values. That is, agents should be able to reason not just in terms of their own, but also of the values of others in their community. This points to Theory of Mind (i.e. the cognitive ability to perceive, interpret and reason about others in terms of their mental states) as an outstanding component of value-based reasoning.\r\n\r\nThis thesis is structured around three main contributions (published in journal papers) plus their integration. The first contribution establishes the normvalue relationship as a consequential one in nature, and proposes a methodology for the automated synthesis and analysis of optimally value-aligned normative systems. The second contribution tackles the limitations of the first, and defines the Action Situation Language to systematically express a wide range of rules that may be implemented in a Multiagent System. This language is complemented by a game engine that automatically interprets interaction descriptions and builds their semantics as Extensive Form Games, which are later analysed with standard game-theoretical tools. This leads to a distribution over game outcomes, which are evaluated in terms of their desirability with respect to values. The third contribution introduces Theory of Mind-related functionalities into an existing Belief-Desire-Intention agent architecture, and combines them with abductive reasoning capabilities.\r\n\r\nThe three contributions are integrated in a novel functionality that enables agents to reason about prescriptive norms in terms of dynamic values. This means that an autonomous agent can, at runtime, switch its value perspective to the one it estimates that another agent has. Such perspective-dependent value-based normative reasoning functionality, with its inherent social orientation, constitutes a novel contribution to the community of values for autonomous agents and paves the way for possible applications such as value-based negotiation over normative systems. In summary, value engineering is a principled and systematic approach to computational ethics, which provides an innovative tool set for integrating ethical values into the design of autonomous agents.<\/jats:p>\n                <jats:p>(Catal\u00e0) El tema d\u2019aquesta tesi \u00e9s l\u2019enginyeria de valors per a agents aut\u00f2noms, aconseguida mitjan\u00e7ant la formulaci\u00f3, disseny i implementaci\u00f3 de noves funcionalitats que permeten a agents aut\u00f2noms raonar en termes de valors. En particular, defensem el paper de les normes prescriptives com a mecanismes de promoci\u00f3 de valors. Aleshores, els agents impulsats per valors deuen poder determinar de forma aut\u00f2noma quines regulacions (com ara obligacions, permisos o prohibicions) promouen millor alguns valors d\u2019inter\u00e8s en el Sistema Multiagent que habiten. Fonamentem el nostre treball a la Teoria de Schwartz de Valors Humans B\u00e0sics per establir una connexi\u00f3 entre valors i normes basada en conseq\u00fc\u00e8ncies, considerant que les normes estan alineades respecte als valors si els resultats que incentiven satisfan les metes que capten el significat d\u2019aquests valors en un context determinat. Una altra caracter\u00edstica de la teoria de Schwartz que ha estat passada per alt pr\u00e8viament a la literatura \u00e9s la forta dimensi\u00f3 social dels valors. \u00c9s a dir, els agents haurien de poder raonar, no nom\u00e9s en termes dels seus propis valors, sin\u00f3 tamb\u00e9 dels d\u2019altres a la seva comunitat. Aix\u00f2 apunta a la Teoria de la Ment (\u00e9s a dir, la capacitat cognitiva de percebre, interpretar i raonar sobre els altres en termes dels seus estats mentals) com un component destacat del raonament basat en valors.\r\n\r\nAquesta tesi s\u2019estructura al voltant de tres contribucions principals (publicades en revistes acad\u00e8miques), a m\u00e9s de la seva integraci\u00f3. La primera contribuci\u00f3 estableix la relaci\u00f3 entre normes i valors mitjan\u00e7ant conseq\u00fc\u00e8ncies, i proposa una metodologia per a la s\u00edntesi i an\u00e0lisi automatitzada de sistemes normatius \u00f2ptimament alineats amb valors. La segona contribuci\u00f3 aborda les limitacions de la primera, i defineix l\u2019Action Situation Language per expressar sistem\u00e0ticament una \u00e0mplia gamma de regles que es poden implementar en un Sistema Multiagent. Aquest llenguatge es complementa amb un int\u00e8rpret que processa autom\u00e0ticament la descripci\u00f3 de la interacci\u00f3 i construeix la seva sem\u00e0ntica com un joc en forma estesa, que despr\u00e9s \u00e9s analitzat amb eines est\u00e0ndards de teoria de jocs. Aix\u00f2 condueix a una distribuci\u00f3 sobre estats finals del joc, que s\u2019avaluen en termes de la seva conveni\u00e8ncia respecte a certs valors. La tercera contribuci\u00f3 presenta funcionalitats relacionades amb la Teoria de la Ment, integrant-les a l\u2019arquitectura Belief-Desire-Intention existent i combinant-les amb raonament abductiu.\r\n\r\nLes tres contribucions s\u2019'integren en una nova funcionalitat que permet a agents aut\u00f2noms raonar sobre normes prescriptives en termes de valors din\u00e0mics. Aix\u00f2 vol dir que un agent aut\u00f2nom pot, durant la seva execuci\u00f3, canviar la seva perspectiva de valors a la que estima que t\u00e9 un altre agent. Aquest enfocament, basat en valors i amb una orientaci\u00f3 social inherent, constitueix una contribuci\u00f3 nova a la investigaci\u00f3 de valors per a agents aut\u00f2noms i aplana el cam\u00ed a possibles aplicacions com la negociaci\u00f3 autom\u00e0tica sobre sistemes normatius basada en valors. En resum, l\u2019'enginyeria de valors \u00e9s un enfocament sistem\u00e0tic i de principis a l\u2019'\u00e8tica computacional, que proporciona un conjunt d\u2019'eines innovadores per integrar valors \u00e8tics al disseny d\u2019'agents aut\u00f2noms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.5821\/dissertation-2117-410409","type":"dissertation","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,24]],"date-time":"2024-06-24T01:22:38Z","timestamp":1719192158000},"approved":{"date-parts":[[2024,2,1]]},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Value engineering for autonomous agents"],"prefix":"10.5821","author":[{"sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nieves","family":"Montes G\u00f3mez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"3865","container-title":[],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,20]],"date-time":"2026-01-20T06:41:47Z","timestamp":1768891307000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/hdl.handle.net\/2117\/410409"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Carlos","family":"Sierra Garc\u00eda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nardine","family":"Osman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cecilio","family":"Angulo Bah\u00f3n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[null]]},"references-count":0,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5821\/dissertation-2117-410409","relation":{},"subject":[]}}