Using agents to enable collaborative work

With the commercialization of the Web, you can find the information you need, but you may also find an applet or CGI bin ready to charge you for it. In what was originally a cooperative environment where discovering and copying information were free, interactions (and the agents involved) are now acquiring an economic basis. We consider how the introduction of agents and, more specifically, agents whose interactions have an economic basis can actually lead to a new dimension for developing systems for computer supported cooperative work. Until recently, the gap between agent technology and the technology available for CSCW appeared to preclude much interaction between the two communities. However, agent based mechanisms have become sophisticated enough to be used by collaborative systems to perform task allocation, scheduling, triggering, and other low-level functions. The methods for entering into collaborative agreements now seem promising.