AI 475: Game Theory

Game theory underpins several important recent advancements in AI such as multi-agent reinforcement learning and generative adversarial networks. Applications within computer science include the use of games in automated verification & model checking to model computing systems in an unknown and possibly adverse environment. In AI, games are applied to the analysis of multiagent systems. Recently, with the advent of the internet and e-commerce, many game theoretic questions in the interplay between economics & computing have received extensive attention. These include electronic auctions, & more generally mechanism design questions (inverse game theory) related to finding incentive structures for cooperation between independent entities on the internet. The course introduces students to the theory of non-cooperative games covering both its economic and algorithmic aspects. Topics that will be covered include equilibria, their existence and quality, equilibrium learning and computation.