Agentiveness

Agentiveness refers to the degree to which an entity, whether artificial or natural, exhibits characteristics of an agent. An agent is typically understood as an entity capable of perception, action, and goal-directed behavior within an environment. Agentiveness, therefore, describes the extent to which an entity possesses these capabilities and acts upon them with a degree of autonomy.

In artificial intelligence, agentiveness is a key concept used to categorize and evaluate intelligent systems. A highly agentive AI system can perceive its surroundings, make decisions based on its goals and current state, and execute actions to influence its environment. This contrasts with simpler programs that might only perform pre-programmed tasks without any adaptive or goal-seeking behavior.

Factors contributing to agentiveness include the complexity of the agent's internal model of the world, its ability to learn and adapt from experience, the sophistication of its decision-making algorithms, and the range and impact of its actions. The concept is often discussed in relation to concepts like autonomy, intentionality, and consciousness, though agentiveness itself does not necessarily imply sentience or self-awareness. It is a functional description of an entity's capacity to act as an independent agent.