Hierarchical Grouping in Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Entertainment

Volume

Papers from the 2000 AAAI Spring Symposium

Contents

In designing a complex project that uses artificial intelligence often there is an inability to mesh immediate, local needs with larger, global needs. A technique to resolve this is to divide the project into hierarchical groups. With this, the lowest level groups within the hierarchy undertake most of the interactions with the environment, i.e. the immediate local needs. A higher level group looks at the overall situation of the environment and based on this, provides general directives or undertones to the lower levels. Using this design technique, the lower level groups can operate fairly continuously, in an independent manner while still being in harmony with the goals and objectives of the higher levels. The following expands on this technique and demonstrates its use through two case studies.