Can ToM improve AI collective intelligence?
Theory of Mind Enhances Collective Intelligence
This paper explores how Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand the mental states of others, can enhance Collective Intelligence (CI) in multi-agent systems. It argues that an agent with ToM can manipulate the interactions of other, less sophisticated agents to improve overall system performance, going beyond simply observing and reacting to their actions. The paper uses information theory to quantify CI and provides simple examples, including a game-theoretic scenario and an ecological case study, to illustrate how ToM can drive CI improvements.
For LLM-based multi-agent systems, this research suggests that incorporating a ToM-like capability into some agents could significantly boost their collective performance. This might involve enabling LLMs to infer the goals and constraints of other agents, and to use this understanding to strategically influence their behavior within the system. The paper’s emphasis on network topology and dynamic agent interactions is also directly relevant to designing complex multi-agent applications using LLMs.