Interaction-based group identity detection via reinforcement learning and artificial evolution

Abstract

We present a computational framework capable of inferring the existence of group identities, built upon social networks of reciprocal friendship, in Complex Adaptive Artificial Societies (CAAS) by solely observing the flow of interactions occurring among the agents. Our modelling framework infers the group identities by following two steps: first, it aims to learn the ongoing levels of cooperation among the agents and, second, it applies evolutionary computation, based on the learned cooperation values, to partition the agents into groups and assign group identities to the agents.

Experimental investigations, based on CAAS of agents who interact with each other by means of the Ultimatum (or Bargain) Social Dilemma Game, show that a cooperation learning phase, based on Reinforcement Learning, can provide highly promising results for minimising the mismatch between the existing and the inferred group identities. The proposed method appears to be robust independently of the size and the ongoing social dynamics of the societies.