Towards Scientific Intelligence: A Survey of LLM-based Scientific Agents

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2503.24047v2
• Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2025 07:26:34 GMT
• Title: Towards Scientific Intelligence: A Survey of LLM-based Scientific Agents
• Authors: Shuo Ren, Pu Jian, Zhenjiang Ren, Chunlin Leng, Can Xie, Jiajun Zhang,
• Abstract summary: Large language models (LLMs) are evolving into scientific agents that automate critical tasks.<n>Unlike general-purpose LLMs, specialized agents integrate domain-specific knowledge, advanced tool sets, and robust validation mechanisms.<n>We highlight why they differ from general agents and the ways in which they advance research across various scientific fields.
• Score: 11.74019905854637
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: As scientific research becomes increasingly complex, innovative tools are needed to manage vast data, facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, and accelerate discovery. Large language models (LLMs) are now evolving into LLM-based scientific agents that automate critical tasks, ranging from hypothesis generation and experiment design to data analysis and simulation. Unlike general-purpose LLMs, these specialized agents integrate domain-specific knowledge, advanced tool sets, and robust validation mechanisms, enabling them to handle complex data types, ensure reproducibility, and drive scientific breakthroughs. This survey provides a focused review of the architectures, design, benchmarks, applications, and ethical considerations surrounding LLM-based scientific agents. We highlight why they differ from general agents and the ways in which they advance research across various scientific fields. By examining their development and challenges, this survey offers a comprehensive roadmap for researchers and practitioners to harness these agents for more efficient, reliable, and ethically sound scientific discovery.

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