Exploring the Use of Genetic Algorithms for Negotiation Support

Bonnie Rubenstein Montano
Information Systems
University of Maryland Baltimore County

2:00pm Friday November 19, 1999
Lecture Hall V

Negotiations are a special class of group decision making problem typically characterized by a high degree of conflict among the negotiation participants. Computerized negotiation support systems (NSS) can be used to help find solutions acceptable to all parties in a negotiation. However, NSS typically address fairly simple negotiation scenarios. This talk will introduce ways for evolutionary computation to enhance traditional negotiation support to better handle complex, real world negotiations. The options presented include a solution representation that allows for multi-party, multi-objective decision making, a new genetic operator termed trade, and the ability of the algorithm to strategize on behalf of individual participants in the negotiation.