Three Types of Agent Collaboration
Multi-agent collaboration divides into three fundamental types based on how agent objectives relate:
Cooperation: Agents align their individual objectives toward a shared collective goal. Each agent’s success contributes to overall system success. Example: agents with different specializations (writing, research, translation) working together on a document.
Competition: Agents prioritize individual objectives that may conflict with others. Success for one agent may mean reduced success for another. Example: debate scenarios where agents argue opposing positions to surface better reasoning.
Coopetition: A blend where agents cooperate on some dimensions while competing on others. Example: negotiation where agents compete on terms but cooperate on reaching any agreement.
The distinction matters for system design: cooperation needs coordination mechanisms, competition needs conflict resolution, coopetition needs both.
Related: 05-atom—coopetition-definition, 05-atom—collaboration-channel-definition