It is difficult to define intelligence. Lets define a few simplified characteristics of an intelligent person

• an intelligent person realizes the importance of goals
• an intelligent person is capable of accurately assessing its environment
• an intelligent person is capable of choosing the sequence of actions to achieve his goal
• an intelligent person is aware that he needs to build working relations with others to achieve his goal

A goal allows a person to concentrate all its efforts in one direction, thereby increasing the chance of achieving the goal. Work alone is insufficient, goals must be achieved because most things in life are useless unless they are completed. We cannot cross a river with a bridge ending in the middle of the river. Half-baked bread is not edible. Partially purified water is neither purified nor potable.

Applying the same logic to an agent, we define the following three characteristics [1]: An intelligent agent is:

• Reactivity: intelligent agents can perceive their environment and react to events within a reasonable time in order to achieve their design objectives (goals)
• Pro-activeness: intelligent agents are capable of taking actions achieve their design objectives on their own initiatives
• Social ability: intelligent agents can interact with others agents and/or humans to satisfy their design objectives

Reference

1. M. Wooldridge and N. R. Jennings. Intelligent agents: Theory and practice: The Knowledge Engineering Review, 1995

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