A Method for Efficient Argument-Based Inquiry

Abstract

In this paper we describe a method for efficient argumentbased inquiry. In this method, an agent creates arguments for and against a particular topic by matching argumentation rules with observations gathered by querying the environment. To avoid making superfluous queries, the agent needs to determine if the acceptability status of the topic can change given more information. We define a notion of stability, where a structured argumentation setup is stable if no new arguments can be added, or if adding new arguments will not change the status of the topic. Because determining stability requires hypothesizing over all future argumentation setups, which is computationally very expensive, we define a less complex approximation algorithm and show that this is a sound approximation of stability. Finally, we show how stability (or our approximation of it) can be used in determining an optimal inquiry policy, and discuss how this policy can be used to, for example, determine a strategy in an argument-based inquiry dialogue.

Yes, no, maybe, I don’t know: Complexity and application of abstract argumentation with incomplete knowledge

“…Stability was defined in a context of structured argumentation: it consists in determining whether a given literal will keep the same acceptance status with respect to the grounded semantics, whatever the argumentation setting evolutions [74,81]. It has been applied in the design of an AI agent that helps the Dutch police in investigations about Internet trade frauds.…”

“…Stability is still a recent research topic. As illustrated by [74,81], it can be used to improve the communication between a software agent and a human being, stopping the dialogue when the argumentation system is stable with respect to the issue under discussion. More generally, the notion of stability is promising in argument-based dialogue systems, where it can be used either to stop the dialogue when there is no need to continue (thus saving communication resources), or for adapting an agent's strategy.…”

Stability in Abstract Argumentation

“…Now we briefly introduce the argumentation setting from (Testerink, Odekerken, and Bex 2019), based on ASPIC + (Modgil and Prakken 2014).…”

“…In a particular structured argumentation setting, the notion of stability has been defined recently (Testerink, Odekerken, and Bex 2019).…”

Enforcing Sets of Formulas in Structured Argumentation

“…There is, however, some work on other aspects of dynamics. In (Alfano et al 2018), an incremental approach to efficiently recalculating the acceptability status of literals in updated DeLP programs is introduced, in (Modgil and Prakken 2012) resolutions of attacks are studied in the context of ASPIC + , and in (Testerink, Odekerken, and Bex 2019;Odekerken, Borg, and Bex 2020) the stability of the acceptability status of a certain formula is investigated. Finally, (Booth et al 2014) study concepts related to enforcement in (abstract) abductive argumentation frameworks and show that these frameworks can be instantiated by abductive logic programming.…”