This paper describes the architecture that integrates DALI MASs (Multi-Agent Systems) and ASP (Answer Set Programming) modules for reaching goals in a flexible and timely way, where DALI is a computational-logic-based fully implemented agent-oriented logic programming language and ASP modules includes solvers that allow affordable and flexible planning capabilities. The proposed DALI MAS architecture exploits such modules for flexible goal decomposition and planning, with the possibility to select plans according to a suite of possible preferences and to re-plan upon need. We present an abstract case-study concerning DALI agents which cooperate for exploring an unknown territory under changing circumstances in an optimal or at least sub-optimal fashion. The architecture can be exploited not only by DALI agents, but rather by any kind of logical agent.

Implementing Machine Ethics in Intelligent Agents involves trustworthiness and safety, meaning that agents should do what is expected they should do (at least, even in case of malfunctioning of any kind, concerning high-priority goals) and should not behave in unexpected potentially harmful ways. This topics are strongly related with "assurance", i.e., to ensuring that system users can rely upon the system. This paper deals with assurance of logical agent systems via temporal-logic-based runtime self-monitoring and checking.