Mixed environments for MAS: Bringing humans in the loop

In many application domains for agents and MAS, the interaction between the systems and human users is a main element. In some cases, the interaction occurs behind a traditional computing device, such as a computer desktop or a smartphone. In other cases, the interaction occurs through the physical world. This is the case, for instance, of smart/intelligent environment applications, and more generally in the wide context of Internet-of-Things based apps. Can the concept of agent environment for MAS play a role in the design of such systems, where humans are in the loop? In this position paper we further develop this question, providing some reflections and suggestions for future works.