# Multi-agent system
## MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** [[Agent-based_model|agent-based model]]
- **Microsimmability score:** 84/100
- **Layout:** drawing region (canvas) on top; control region (sliders/buttons) below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Number of agents`
- `Communication range`
- `Task load`
### What animates
Multiple agents sense, communicate, and coordinate to complete tasks under changing settings.
### Learning objective
Show how distributed agents coordinate to achieve a system goal.
## Links (Wikipedia order)
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`Agent-based_computational_economics` · [[Agent-based_model]] · `Agent-based_model_in_biology` · `Agent-based_social_simulation` · `Agent-oriented_programming` · `Agent_mining` · [[Alexander_Bogdanov]] · [[Algorithm]] · [[Allenna_Leonard]] · [[Anatol_Rapoport]] · [[Anthony_Wilden]] · `Artificial_brain` · [[Artificial_intelligence]] · [[Artificial_life]] · `Attention` · `Autonomous_Agents_and_Multi-Agent_Systems` · `Autonomous_agent` · [[Barbara_J._Grosz]] · `Behavior_informatics` · `Bio-inspired_computing` · [[Biological_system]] · [[Black_box]] · `Blackboard_system` · `Botnet` · `Brain–computer_interface` · [[Béla_H._Bánáthy]] · [[C._West_Churchman]] · `Cambridge_University_Press` · [[Charles_A._S._Hall]] · `ChatGPT` · `Circuit_(computer_science)` · [[Claude_Shannon]] · `Communication` · `Comparison_of_agent-based_modeling_software` · `Comparison_of_platforms_for_software_agents` · [[Complex_system]] · `Computational_biology` · `Computational_neuroscience` · `Computational_theory_of_mind` · `Conflict_management` · `Consensus_decision-making` · `Consensus_dynamics` · [[Control_theory]] · `Cooperative_distributed_problem_solving` · [[Coupled_human–environment_system]] · `CrewAI` · [[Cybernetics]] · `Data_processing` · [[Decision-making]] · [[Decision_theory]] · `Decoding_the_Universe` · `Distributed_artificial_intelligence` · `Distributed_constraint_optimization` · [[Donella_Meadows]] · [[Doubling_time]] · [[Earth_system_science]] · `Economic_system` · [[Ecosystem]] · [[Edsger_W._Dijkstra]] · [[Edward_Norton_Lorenz]] · [[Emergence]] · `Epidemiology` · [[Eric_Trist]] · [[Evolutionary_computation]] · `Foundation_for_Intelligent_Physical_Agents` · [[Francisco_Varela]] · `Fred_Emery_(psychologist)` · `Friendly_artificial_intelligence` · `GORITE` · [[Game_theory]] · `Genome_informatics` · `Geographic_information_system` · [[George_Dantzig]] · [[George_Klir]] · `GitHub` · [[Gregory_Bateson]] · `Hallucination_(artificial_intelligence)` · [[Heinz_von_Foerster]] · [[Howard_T._Odum]] · `Human-based_genetic_algorithm` · `Human–computer_interaction` · [[Humberto_Maturana]] · `Hybrid_intelligent_system` · [[Ilya_Prigogine]] · `Inforg` · `Information_overload` · `Information_processing_theory` · `Information_structure` · [[Information_system]] · `Information_technology` · [[Information_theory]] · `Infosphere` · `Institute_of_Electrical_and_Electronics_Engineers` · `Intelligence` · `Intelligent_agent` · `JACK_Intelligent_Agents` · [[James_Grier_Miller]] · [[James_J._Kay]] · `Java_Agent_Development_Framework` · [[Jay_Wright_Forrester]] · [[Jennifer_Wilby]] · [[John_Seddon]] · [[Kathleen_Carley]] · [[Katia_Sycara]] · `Kenneth_E._Boulding` · [[Kevin_Warwick]] · `Knowledge_Query_and_Manipulation_Language` · `Large_language_model` · `Learning` · [[Limiting_factor]] · [[List_of_systems_sciences_organizations]] · `List_of_systems_scientists` · [[Living_systems]] · [[Ludwig_von_Bertalanffy]] · [[Lydia_Kavraki]] · [[Manfred_Clynes]] · [[Manuela_M._Veloso]] · [[Margaret_Boden]] · [[Margaret_Mead]] · [[Mary_Cartwright]] · `Microbial_intelligence` · [[Mihajlo_D._Mesarovic]] · `Mike_Jackson_(systems_scientist)` · `Mind` · `Mind_uploading` · `Monolithic_system` · `Multi-agent_pathfinding` · `Multi-agent_planning` · `Multi-agent_reinforcement_learning` · [[Murray_Bowen]] · `Natural_computing` · [[Negative_feedback]] · [[Nervous_system]] · `Neural_computation` · `Neuroinformatics` · [[Niklas_Luhmann]] · [[Norbert_Wiener]] · `Object_Management_Group` · `Pattern-oriented_modeling` · `Perception` · `Peter_Norvig` · [[Peter_Senge]] · `Pheromone` · `Philosophy_of_artificial_intelligence` · `Philosophy_of_information` · `Physical_computing` · `PlatBox_Project` · [[Positive_feedback]] · [[Principia_Cybernetica]] · `Process_(computing)` · `Processor_(computing)` · [[Qian_Xuesen]] · [[Radhika_Nagpal]] · `Reason` · [[Recommender_system]] · [[Reinforcement_learning]] · `Remote_control` · `Ron_Sun` · `Russell_L._Ackoff` · `Ruzena_Bajcsy` · `Scientific_community_metaphor` · `Scientific_method` · `Search_algorithm` · `Self-driving_car` · `Self-propelled_particles` · `Self-reconfiguring_modular_robot` · `Semiotics` · [[Signal]] · `Simulated_reality` · `Social_influence` · `Social_information_processing` · `Social_simulation` · `Social_system` · [[Sociotechnical_system]] · `Software_agent` · `Software_bot` · `Springer_Science+Business_Media` · [[Stafford_Beer]] · `State_(computer_science)` · [[Stephanie_Forrest]] · `Stephen_Smale` · [[Stream_processing]] · `Stuart_J._Russell` · `Swarm_intelligence` · `Swarm_robotics` · [[System]] · [[System_dynamics]] · `Systemics` · `Systems_analysis` · `Systems_art` · [[Systems_biology]] · [[Systems_ecology]] · [[Systems_engineering]] · [[Systems_neuroscience]] · [[Systems_pharmacology]] · `Systems_philosophy` · `Systems_psychology` · [[Systems_science]] · [[Systems_theory]] · `Systems_theory_in_anthropology` · [[Systems_theory_in_archaeology]] · [[Systems_theory_in_political_science]] · [[Systems_thinking]] · [[Talcott_Parsons]] · `Theory_of_computation` · [[Twelve_leverage_points]] · `Ubiquitous_computing` · `University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst` · [[Urban_metabolism]] · `Vehicular_automation` · `Victor_Aladjev` · [[Virtual_reality]] · `Virtual_world` · `Voting` · `Waymo` · `World-systems_theory`
## From the Real GENERATIVE library (beauty pass)
*Multi-agent system — image hotlinked from Wikimedia Commons (via the Real G.E.N.E.R.A.T.I.V.E. course library, Robotics room). [Details & license](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IntelligentAgent-SimpleReflex.png).*
> A multi-agent system (MAS or "self-organized system") is a computerized system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents.[1] Multi-agent systems can solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent or a monolithic system to solve.[2] Intelligence may include methodic, functional, procedural approaches, algorithmic search or reinforcement learning.[3] ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-agent_system))
<!-- BEAUTY-PASS-MEDIA:END -->
> p5.js MicroSim stub · part of Systems Science · [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-agent_system)
> Relation: subfield of systems science.
## Concept summary
A multi-agent system (MAS or "self-organized [[System|system]]") is a computerized system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents. Multi-agent systems can solve problems that are difficult or impossible for an individual agent or a monolithic system to solve. Intelligence may include methodic, functional, procedural approaches, algorithmic search or reinforcement learning. With advancements in large language models (LLMs), LLM-based multi-agent systems have emerged as a new area of research, enabling more sophisticated interactions and coordination among agents.
## Build checklist
- [ ] Claim it: set `status: in-progress` + `lease` + `leased_at`
- [ ] Write the child page explaining the concept (tie it back to systems science)
- [ ] Finalize parameter ranges and defaults
- [ ] Implement the p5.js sketch (drawing + control regions)
- [ ] Add caption + the learning objective on the page
- [ ] Set `status: done`
## p5.js sketch
```javascript
// MicroSim: Multi-agent system
let controls = {};
function setup() {
// createCanvas(...); create sliders for the parameters above.
}
function draw() {
// background(...); read controls; render agent-based model; respond live.
}
```
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Back to Systems Science · Wikipedia: [Multi-agent system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-agent_system)
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## Semiotic profile
> *The semiotic universals this article invokes, machine-derived from the crossref — **unverified** (born so). Populated 2026-07-06 for the Systems room.*
**Universals (3):** 🟡 system (56) · 🟢 emergence (7) · 🟡 science (5)
**Enter by sign:** Systems Semiotic Gateway · Alphabetum · Icon Registry · ← Systems Portal
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:END -->
<!-- BEAUTY-PASS-MEDIA:START -->
## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-agent_system) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Multi-agent_system)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parents: [[Agent-based_model]] · [[Complex_system]] · [[Control_theory]] · [[Cybernetics]] · [[Game_theory]] · [[Information_theory]] · [[Operations_research]] · [[Reliability_engineering]] · [[Self-organization]] · [[System_dynamics]] · [[Systems_engineering]] · [[Systems_science]] · [[Systems_theory]].
Legacy hubs: none.
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*Sources: 4 legacy notes. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*