Hierarchical Planning in AI

• Hierarchical planning in artificial intelligence

(AI) is a planning approach that involves
organizing tasks and actions into multiple levels
of abstraction or hierarchy, where higher-level
tasks are decomposed into a sequence of lower-
level tasks.
• It provides a way to efficiently reason and plan
in complex domains by utilizing a hierarchy of
goals and subgoals. Hierarchical planning
allows AI systems to make decisions at different
levels of abstraction, enabling them to tackle
complex tasks and environments effectively.
 Cont…
•
In hierarchical planning, the high-level task is
represented as the ultimate goal, and it is decomposed
into subgoals or actions at lower levels of the hierarchy.
• The hierarchy can be organized as a tree or a directed
acyclic graph (DAG), with the high-level goal as the
root node and the lowest-level tasks or actions as leaf
nodes.
• Planning can occur at different levels of the hierarchy,
with the system selecting goals and generating plans for
achieving subgoals or actions.
• The plans generated at different levels are then
synthesized into a cohesive plan for execution.
 Components of Hierarchical Planning

• High-level goals: The overall objectives or

tasks that the AI system aims to achieve.
• Task decomposition: Breaking down high-level
goals into lower-level tasks or subgoals.
• Planning hierarchy: The organization of tasks or
subgoals into a hierarchical structure, such as a
tree or a directed acyclic graph (DAG).
• Plan generation at different levels: Reasoning
and planning at different levels of the
hierarchy, with plans generated for achieving
subgoals or actions.
 Cont…

• Plan synthesis: Combining the

plans for achieving subgoals or
actions into a cohesive plan for
execution.
• Plan execution: Carrying out the
actions or subgoals in the plan in the
correct order.
• Plan adaptation: Revising plans at
different levels of abstraction to
accommodate changes in the
 Advantages of Hierarchical planning

• Scalability: Hierarchical planning allows for reasoning and

planning at different levels of abstraction, enabling efficient
handling of complex tasks and environments.
• Flexibility: Hierarchical planning provides the flexibility to
adapt plans to changes in the environment or goals, making
them more robust and adaptable.
• Abstraction and reuse: The use of a hierarchy of tasks or
subgoals allows for the abstraction and reuse of plans,
making planning more efficient and reducing the need for
redundant planning.
• Higher-level reasoning: Hierarchical planning allows for
higher-level reasoning and decision-making, enabling AI
systems to make strategic choices and coordinate actions
at a higher level of abstraction.
 Techniques Used in Hierarchical Planning

• Decomposition techniques: Decomposition

techniques involve breaking down high-level goals
or tasks into lower-level tasks or subgoals.
• This can be done using methods such as goal
decomposition, task network decomposition, or
state-based decomposition.
• Goal decomposition involves breaking down high-
level goals into smaller subgoals that can be
achieved independently.
• Task network decomposition involves representing
tasks and their dependencies as a directed graph
and decomposing it into smaller subgraphs.
• State-based decomposition involves dividing the
planning problem into smaller subproblems based
on different states of the environment.
 Cont…
• Abstraction techniques: Abstraction techniques involve
representing tasks or actions at different levels of abstraction.
• This can be done using methods such as state abstraction,
action abstraction, or temporal abstraction.
• State abstraction involves representing the state of the
environment at a higher level of abstraction, reducing the
complexity of the planning problem.
• Action abstraction involves representing actions at a higher
level of abstraction, allowing for more generalizable plans.
• Temporal abstraction involves representing actions or plans
at a higher level of time granularity, such as abstracting a
sequence of actions into a single abstract action.
 Cont…

• Task allocation techniques: Task allocation techniques

involve assigning tasks or subgoals to appropriate agents or
resources in a hierarchical planning system.
• This can be done using methods such as centralized allocation,
decentralized allocation, or market-based allocation.
• Centralized allocation involves a central planner assigning
tasks to agents or resources.
• Decentralized allocation involves agents or resources
autonomously selecting tasks based on local information.
• Market-based allocation involves agents or resources bidding
for tasks in a market-like mechanism.
 Cont…

• Plan integration techniques: Plan integration techniques

involve combining plans generated at different levels of
abstraction into a cohesive plan for execution.
• This can be done using methods such as plan merging, plan
refinement, or plan composition.
• Plan merging involves combining plans for achieving
different subgoals into a single plan.
• Plan refinement involves refining a high-level plan by
generating detailed plans for achieving lower-level subgoals.
• Plan composition involves combining plans for achieving
different tasks or actions into a coherent and executable
plan.
 Applications of Hierarchical Planning in AI

• Robotics: Hierarchical planning is

commonly used in robotics to plan and
execute complex tasks involving
multiple levels of abstraction.
• For example, in autonomous robots,
hierarchical planning can be used to
plan high-level goals, such as
navigating to a specific location, and
decompose them into lower-level tasks,
such as obstacle avoidance, path
planning, and motion control.
 Cont…
• Autonomous Systems: Hierarchical
planning is used in various autonomous
systems, such as autonomous vehicles,
drones, and unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs).
• Hierarchical planning can be used to plan
and coordinate actions at different levels of
abstraction, such as high-level goals like
reaching a destination or following a mission
plan, and low-level tasks like obstacle
avoidance, navigation, and communication.
 Cont…
• Manufacturing: Hierarchical planning is
employed in manufacturing systems to
plan and optimize production processes.
• High-level goals, such as production
scheduling, resource allocation, and task
coordination, can be decomposed into
lower-level tasks, such as machine
scheduling, material handling, and
quality control, which can be planned
and executed hierarchically.
 Cont…
• Transportation: Hierarchical planning is
utilized in transportation systems for
tasks such as route planning, traffic
management, and logistics.
• High-level goals, such as finding optimal
routes, coordinating multiple vehicles,
and managing traffic flow, can be
decomposed into lower-level tasks, such
as path planning, traffic control, and fleet
coordination.
 Challenges and Limitations of Hierarchical Planning

• Scalability issues: Hierarchical planning can

face scalability issues when dealing with large
and complex planning problems. As the number
of tasks, agents, or levels of abstraction
increase, the planning process can become
computationally expensive and time-consuming.
• Complexity of the planning
process: Hierarchical planning involves
managing multiple levels of abstraction,
coordinating tasks at different levels, and
integrating plans from different sources.
 Cont…
• Difficulty in handling dynamic
environments: Hierarchical
planning can face challenges in
handling dynamic and changing
environments. The tasks, goals, and
constraints may also change as the
environment changes, requiring
adaptive and flexible planning
strategies.
 Future Directions of Hierarchical Planning in AI

• Integration with machine

learning: Integrating hierarchical planning
with machine learning techniques, such as
reinforcement learning, deep learning, and
imitation learning, to enhance decision-
making and adaptability.
• Multi-agent hierarchical
planning: Extending hierarchical planning to
address planning and coordination challenges
in multi-agent systems, enabling coordinated
planning among multiple agents.
 Cont…

• Multi-agent hierarchical
planning: Extending hierarchical planning
to address planning and coordination
challenges in multi-agent systems, enabling
coordinated planning among multiple
agents.
• Human-robot collaboration: Developing
hierarchical planning techniques that
facilitate effective collaboration between
humans and robots in tasks that require joint
decision-making and coordination.
 Cont…
• Explainable hierarchical
planning: Advancing explainable AI
techniques to provide interpretable
explanations for the decisions made by
hierarchical planning systems, increasing
their transparency and trustworthiness.
• Handling uncertainty: Developing
techniques to handle uncertainty, such as
probabilistic reasoning and stochastic
planning, to enable hierarchical planning in
uncertain and dynamic environments.