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Reseach Article

Trust-Weighted Adaptive Consensus: A Resilient Coordination Framework for Next-Generation Large Language Model Multi-Agent Systems

by J. Robert Adaikalaraj, J. Jegathesh Amalraj, M. Sivakumar
International Journal of Computer Applications
Foundation of Computer Science (FCS), NY, USA
Volume 187 - Number 145
Year of Publication: 2026
Authors: J. Robert Adaikalaraj, J. Jegathesh Amalraj, M. Sivakumar
10.5120/ijcaee078c422a35

J. Robert Adaikalaraj, J. Jegathesh Amalraj, M. Sivakumar . Trust-Weighted Adaptive Consensus: A Resilient Coordination Framework for Next-Generation Large Language Model Multi-Agent Systems. International Journal of Computer Applications. 187, 145 ( Sep 2026), 18-24. DOI=10.5120/ijcaee078c422a35

@article{ 10.5120/ijcaee078c422a35,
author = { J. Robert Adaikalaraj, J. Jegathesh Amalraj, M. Sivakumar },
title = { Trust-Weighted Adaptive Consensus: A Resilient Coordination Framework for Next-Generation Large Language Model Multi-Agent Systems },
journal = { International Journal of Computer Applications },
issue_date = { Sep 2026 },
volume = { 187 },
number = { 145 },
month = { Sep },
year = { 2026 },
issn = { 0975-8887 },
pages = { 18-24 },
numpages = {9},
url = { https://ijcaonline.org/archives/volume187/number145/trust-weighted-adaptive-consensus-a-resilient-coordination-framework-for-next-generation-large-language-model-multi-agent-systems/ },
doi = { 10.5120/ijcaee078c422a35 },
publisher = {Foundation of Computer Science (FCS), NY, USA},
address = {New York, USA}
}
%0 Journal Article
%1 2026-10-01T01:00:10.817560+05:30
%A J. Robert Adaikalaraj
%A J. Jegathesh Amalraj
%A M. Sivakumar
%T Trust-Weighted Adaptive Consensus: A Resilient Coordination Framework for Next-Generation Large Language Model Multi-Agent Systems
%J International Journal of Computer Applications
%@ 0975-8887
%V 187
%N 145
%P 18-24
%D 2026
%I Foundation of Computer Science (FCS), NY, USA
Abstract

Large language model (LLM) agents have moved from single-turn assistants to persistent, tool-using systems that plan, delegate, and cooperate. This shift has produced an explosion of multi-agent system (MAS) frameworks, interoperability protocols, and orchestration patterns, yet production deployments continue to report failure rates far higher than single-agent baselines. This paper synthesizes the current state of AI agents and multi-agent systems as of mid-2026, organizes the coordination design space into a four-part topology taxonomy, and reviews the emerging empirical literature on why multi-agent systems fail. Building on documented gaps, particularly the absence of adaptive, trust-aware coordination in widely used frameworks. We propose Trust-Weighted Adaptive Consensus (TWAC), a coordination-layer mechanism that combines capability-aware sparse shortlisting, an exponentially-weighted per-agent trust ledger, and uncertainty-gated verification. We evaluate TWAC against round-robin and centralized-auction baselines in a controlled simulation across 500 tasks and 30 independent trials. TWAC improves task success rate while reducing communication overhead relative to full-broadcast coordination and lowering cascading-failure rates by more than an order of magnitude. We conclude with future research implications for trust-based coordination in agentic AI systems.

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Index Terms

Computer Science
Information Sciences

Keywords

AI Agents; Multi-Agent Systems; Large Language Model LLM Orchestration; Agent Coordination; Trust-Weighted Consensus; Agent Interoperability Protocols; MCP; A2A; Failure Taxonomy; Agentic AI