Negotiation support systems for complex situations. I initiated and with an international collaboration continuously develop GeniusWeb (old version: GENIUS), the internationally most used platform to support research into negotiation mechanisms, protocols, and intelligent negotiating agents. The Pocket Negotiator, is the concept of a Negotiation Support System for which I received a (NWO-STW VICI grant) in 2008. The experimental version is called the Pocket Negotiator, or go to WeGain B.V., for the commercial version Enigma.
My research on the embedding of artificial intelligence in negotiation comes in two flavours: automated negotiation, and negotiation support. This research line crosses the other research lines, e.g., the best way to improve the negotiation process with support is if the support agent can learn and understand the perspectives of the negotiators, which includes their value profiles, underlying concerns, and their preference profile with respect to the negotiable issues. Furthermore, the strategies for what to offer when and when to accept bids has to be optimized in relation to the wishes of the negotiator that the agent is supporting. I run the automated negotiation research line as a way to underpin the support agent with strategies that are optimized in fierce competition with other strategies. For this purpose, I launched the initiative for the annual international Automated Negotiating Agents Competition (ANAC), which has boosted the research in automated negotiation agents.