Agency is the capacity of an entity to continually sense its environment, make decisions based on that sensory input, and to act out those decisions in its environment without (in general) requiring control by or permission from entities with which the entity is associated.
The hallmarks of agency are reactivity (timely response to changes in the environment), goal-oriented (not simply responding to the environment according to a pre-determined script), autonomy (having its own agenda), interactive (with its environment and other entities), flexibility, and adaptability.
An entity which has the qualities associated with agency is referred to as an agent.
An agent which operates within the realm of software systems is referred to as a software agent. Agency, being an agent, or having the qualities of agency do not imply anything to do with software.
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Updated: November 14, 2005 04:56:48 PM -0500
Copyright © 2004 John W. Krupansky d/b/a Base Technology