ranbot-ai/bdi-mental-states

BDI Mental State Modeling

Transform external RDF context into agent mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions) using formal BDI ontology patterns. This skill enables agents to reason about context through cognitive architecture, supporting deliberative reasoning, explainability, and semantic interoperability within multi-agent systems.

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

• Processing external RDF context into agent beliefs about world states
• Modeling rational agency with perception, deliberation, and action cycles
• Enabling explainability through traceable reasoning chains
• Implementing BDI frameworks (SEMAS, JADE, JADEX)
• Augmenting LLMs with formal cognitive structures (Logic Augmented Generation)
• Coordinating mental states across multi-agent platforms
• Tracking temporal evolution of beliefs, desires, and intentions
• Linking motivational states to action plans

Core Concepts

Mental Reality Architecture

Mental States (Endurants): Persistent cognitive attributes

• Belief: What the agent believes to be true about the world
• Desire: What the agent wishes to bring about
• Intention: What the agent commits to achieving

Mental Processes (Perdurants): Events that modify mental states

• BeliefProcess: Forming/updating beliefs from perception
• DesireProcess: Generating desires from beliefs
• IntentionProcess: Committing to desires as actionable intentions

Cognitive Chain Pattern

:Belief_store_open a bdi:Belief ;
    rdfs:comment "Store is open" ;
    bdi:motivates :Desire_buy_groceries .

:Desire_buy_groceries a bdi:Desire ;
    rdfs:comment "I desire to buy groceries" ;
    bdi:isMotivatedBy :Belief_store_open .

:Intention_go_shopping a bdi:Intention ;
    rdfs:comment "I will buy groceries" ;
    bdi:fulfils :Desire_buy_groceries ;
    bdi:isSupportedBy :Belief_store_open ;
    bdi:specifies :Plan_shopping .

World State Grounding

Mental states reference structured configurations of the environment:

:Agent_A a bdi:Agent ;
    bdi:perceives :WorldState_WS1 ;
    bdi:hasMentalState :Belief_B1 .

:WorldState_WS1 a bdi:WorldState ;
    rdfs:comment "Meeting scheduled at 10am in Room 5" ;
    bdi:atTime :TimeInstant_10am .

:Belief_B1 a bdi:Belief ;
    bdi:refersTo :WorldState_WS1 .

Goal-Directed Planning

Intentions specify plans that address goals through task sequences:

:Intention_I1 bdi:specifies :Plan_P1 .

:Plan_P1 a bdi:Plan ;
    bdi:addresses :Goal_G1 ;
    bdi:beginsWith :Task_T1 ;
    bdi:endsWith :Task_T3 .

:Task_T1 bdi:precedes :Task_T2 .
:Task_T2 bdi:precedes :Task_T3 .

T2B2T Paradigm

Triples-to-Beliefs-to-Triples implements bidirectional flow between RDF knowledge graphs and internal mental states:

Phase 1: Triples-to-Beliefs

# External RDF context triggers belief formation
:WorldState_notification a bdi:WorldState ;
    rdfs:comment "Push notification: Payment request $250" ;
    bdi:triggers :BeliefProcess_BP1 .

:BeliefProcess_BP1 a bdi:BeliefProcess ;
    bdi:generates :Belief_payment_request .

Phase 2: Beliefs-to-Triples

# Mental deliberation produces new RDF output
:Intention_pay a bdi:Intention ;
    bdi:specifies :Plan_payment .

:PlanExecution_PE1 a bdi:PlanExecution ;
    bdi:satisfies :Plan_payment ;
    bdi:bringsAbout :WorldState_payment_complete .

Notation Selection by Level

| C4 Level | Notation | Mental State Representation | |----------|----------|----------------------------| | L1 Context | ArchiMate | Agent boundaries, external perception sources | | L2 Container | ArchiMate | BDI reasoning engine, belief store, plan executor | | L3 Component | UML | Mental state managers, process handlers | | L4 Code | UML/RDF | Belief/Desire/Intention classes, ontology instances |

Justification and Explainability

Mental entities link to supporting evidence for traceable reasoning:

:Belief_B1 a bdi:Belief ;
    bdi:isJustifiedBy :Justification_J1 .

:Justification_J1 a bdi:Justification ;
    rdfs:comment "Official announcement received via email" .

:Intention_I1 a bdi:Intention ;
    bdi:isJustifiedBy :Justification_J2 .

:Justification_J2 a bdi:Justification ;
    rdfs:comment "Location precondition satisfied" .

Temporal Dimensions

Mental states persist over bounded time periods:

:Belief_B1 a bdi:Belief ;
    bdi:hasValidity :TimeInterval_TI1 .

:TimeInterval_TI1 a bdi:TimeInterval ;
    bdi:hasStartTime :TimeInstant_9am ;
    bdi:hasEndTime :TimeInstant_11am .

Query mental states active at specific moments:

SELECT ?mentalState WHERE {
    ?mentalState bdi:hasValidity ?interval .
    ?interval bdi:hasStartTime ?start ;
              bdi:hasEndTime ?end .
    FILTER(?start <= "2025-01-04T10:00:00"^^xsd:dateTime && 
           ?end >= "2025-01-04T10:00:00"^^xsd:dateTime)
}

Compositional Mental Entities

Complex mental entities decompose into constituent parts for selective update