ABSTRACT
In the present chapter, I propose that designing large-scale, agent-based community systems for multinational organizations requires fostering a shared sense of community belonging that transcends any one cultural ori entation and is thus truly multicultural.I introduce the notion of intercul tural agents for multicultural interactions and discuss how agent-generated cultural cues in virtual environments can motivate cross-cultural discovery among users. I introduce why we need agent-based systems that communi cate cultural cues and propose using a model called Designing From the Interaction Out as a guide for designing intercultural agents. In discussing the model, examples are offered from previous work on an adaptive, agent-based community system and an embodied agent whose purpose is to facilitate organizational change and adoption of new technologies. A sce nario is advanced in which humans and intercultural agents work in con cert to co-create equitable multicultural environments. I conclude by offer ing that multicultural interactions need diverse agent solutions that work together to honor the contributions of users' multilevel cultural identities that make up the vibrant multicultural interactions in community-based systems.
