Evolution of Programming Languages in Agent Systems and the Role of Computational Logic

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Alina Vozna, Andrea Monaldini, Stefania Costantini, Giovanni De Gasperis, Pierangelo dell’Acqua, Andrea Formisano, Andrea Rafanelli
Viviana Mascardi, Andrea Omicini (eds.)
The Agents Journey: Twenty-Five Years of Multi-agent Systems, chapter 1, pages 3–51
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (State-of-the-Art Survey) 16395
Springer Nature Switzerland
April 2026

In this chapter we first report the evolution over time of the programming languages adopted for implementing agents and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). Then, we briefly illustrate our own contribution to the field of agents and MAS, which concerns a programming language and framework called DALI, some significant applications of DALI, and a study relating to Epistemic Logic to model group dynamics in agent systems. All of the above is based on papers published in the Proceedings of the WOA series of workshops.

keywords   Agent-Oriented Programming Languages, Computational Logic, Epistemic Logic
journal or series
Journal_icon.svg Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)
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Publication_icon.svg The Agents Journey (edited volume, 2026) — Viviana Mascardi, Andrea Omicini
companion publication
Publication_icon.svg Preface (editorial/introduction/preface, 2026) — Viviana Mascardi, Andrea Omicini
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Publication_icon.svg Interaction Protocols: From AUML to Social Commitments, from Artifacts to BSPL (book chapter, 2026) — Matteo Baldoni, Cristina Baroglio, Roberto Micalizio
Publication_icon.svg Coordination of Software Agents: Models and Languages (book chapter, 2026) — Giacomo Cabri, Letizia Leonardi, Stefano Mariani, Franco Zambonelli
Publication_icon.svg Self-organisation with Aggregate Computing: A Reflection Under the Lenses of Multi-agent Systems Engineering (book chapter, 2026) — Gianluca Aguzzi, Roberto Casadei, Danilo Pianini, Mirko Viroli
Publication_icon.svg Rethinking Software Agents as Building Blocks of Software Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Federico Bergenti, Stefania Monica
Publication_icon.svg Designing Agent-Oriented Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Massimo Cossentino, Luca Sabatucci, Valeria Seidita
Publication_icon.svg 25 Years of Declarative Agent Technologies in Italy (book chapter, 2026) — Davide Ancona, Daniela Briola, Angelo Ferrando, Maurizio Martelli, Viviana Mascardi
Publication_icon.svg Intelligent Agents from Symbolic to Neurosymbolic Systems: The Quest for Integration (book chapter, 2026) — Andrea Agiollo, Roberta Calegari, Giovanni Ciatto, Matteo Magnini, Andrea Omicini, Federico Sabbatini
Publication_icon.svg From Objects to Agents, and Back to Smart Objects: Software Agents for Intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Daniel-Costel Bouleanu, Marco Loaiza, Claudio Savaglio, Costin Bădică, Raffaele Gravina, Giancarlo Fortino
Publication_icon.svg AI Infrastructure: From Gigastructure to Edge Intelligence with Multi-Agent Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Andrea Omicini, Alessandro Ricci, Viviana Mascardi
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companion publication for
Publication_icon.svg 25 Years of Declarative Agent Technologies in Italy (book chapter, 2026) — Davide Ancona, Daniela Briola, Angelo Ferrando, Maurizio Martelli, Viviana Mascardi
Publication_icon.svg AI Infrastructure: From Gigastructure to Edge Intelligence with Multi-Agent Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Andrea Omicini, Alessandro Ricci, Viviana Mascardi
Publication_icon.svg Self-organisation with Aggregate Computing: A Reflection Under the Lenses of Multi-agent Systems Engineering (book chapter, 2026) — Gianluca Aguzzi, Roberto Casadei, Danilo Pianini, Mirko Viroli
Publication_icon.svg Coordination of Software Agents: Models and Languages (book chapter, 2026) — Giacomo Cabri, Letizia Leonardi, Stefano Mariani, Franco Zambonelli
Publication_icon.svg Intelligent Agents from Symbolic to Neurosymbolic Systems: The Quest for Integration (book chapter, 2026) — Andrea Agiollo, Roberta Calegari, Giovanni Ciatto, Matteo Magnini, Andrea Omicini, Federico Sabbatini
Publication_icon.svg Rethinking Software Agents as Building Blocks of Software Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Federico Bergenti, Stefania Monica
Publication_icon.svg Looking for the Best Partners (book chapter, 2026) — Domenico Rosaci, Giuseppe M. L. Sarnè
Publication_icon.svg Trust Evolution in Agent and Multi-agent Systems: A Computational Modeling Perspective (book chapter, 2026) — Alessandro Sapienza, Filippo Cantucci, Cristiano Castelfranchi, Rino Falcone
Publication_icon.svg Preface (editorial/introduction/preface, 2026) — Viviana Mascardi, Andrea Omicini
Publication_icon.svg From Objects to Agents, and Back to Smart Objects: Software Agents for Intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Daniel-Costel Bouleanu, Marco Loaiza, Claudio Savaglio, Costin Bădică, Raffaele Gravina, Giancarlo Fortino
Publication_icon.svg Interaction Protocols: From AUML to Social Commitments, from Artifacts to BSPL (book chapter, 2026) — Matteo Baldoni, Cristina Baroglio, Roberto Micalizio
Publication_icon.svg Designing Agent-Oriented Systems (book chapter, 2026) — Massimo Cossentino, Luca Sabatucci, Valeria Seidita