We extend the agent-based models for knowledge diffusion in networks, restricted to
random mindless interactions and to
“frozen” (static) networks, in order to take into account
intelligent agents and
network co-evolution. Intelligent agents make decisions under
bounded rationality. This is the
[...] Read more.
We extend the agent-based models for knowledge diffusion in networks, restricted to
random mindless interactions and to
“frozen” (static) networks, in order to take into account
intelligent agents and
network co-evolution. Intelligent agents make decisions under
bounded rationality. This is the key distinction of intelligent interacting agents compared to
mindless colliding molecules, involved in the usual diffusion mechanism resulting from
accidental collisions. The
co-evolution of link weights and knowledge levels is modeled
at the local microscopic level of “agent-to-agent” interaction. Our network co-evolution model is actually a “
learning mechanism”, where weight updates depend on the previous values of
both weights and knowledge levels. The goal of our work is to explore the impact of (a) the
intelligence of the agents, modeled by the selection-decision rule for knowledge acquisition, (b) the
innovation rate of the agents, (c) the
number of “top innovators” and (d) the
network size. We find that
rational intelligent agents
transform the network into a
“centralized world”,
reducing the entropy of their selections-decisions for knowledge acquisition. In addition, we find that the
average knowledge, as well as the
“knowledge inequality”, grow exponentially.
Full article