Implementation of the Deffuant Model Within the FLAME GPU Framework

Abstract

The Deffuant model is a model of opinion dynamics based on the factor of the degree of doubt of agents, called uncertainty. Despite its simplicity, the Deffuant model turned out to be technically extremely difficult to analyze, and its basic convergence properties, which are easy to observe numerically, are only empirical results. In the presented work, the agent-based Deffuant model is implemented within the FLAME GPU framework, designed to parallelize simulations of agent-based models based on GPUs. The identity of the results with the original single-thread model is demonstrated. This approach allows us to study various characteristics of the model, its development, modification of the configuration of the ensemble of agents, to conduct various analyses, in particular, cluster analysis.