mlsanityData to 7 Oct 2026

Professional Agents -- Evolving Large Language Models into Autonomous Experts with Human-Level Competencies

arXiv 2402.03628 ↗First posted 6 Feb 2024cs.CLcited by 9

On the map: LLM agents and tool use → General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks

Abstract (arXiv)

The advent of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, PaLM, and GPT-4 has catalyzed remarkable advances in natural language processing, demonstrating human-like language fluency and reasoning capacities. This position paper introduces the concept of Professional Agents (PAgents), an application framework harnessing LLM capabilities to create autonomous agents with controllable, specialized, interactive, and professional-level competencies. We posit that PAgents can reshape professional services through continuously developed expertise. Our proposed PAgents framework entails a tri-layered architecture for genesis, evolution, and synergy: a base tool layer, a middle agent layer, and a top synergy layer. This paper aims to spur discourse on promising real-world applications of LLMs. We argue the increasing sophistication and integration of PAgents could lead to AI systems exhibiting professional mastery over complex domains, serving critical needs, and potentially achieving artificial general intelligence.

Key facts. Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 7 Oct 2026). Placed in General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use. Builds on 95 of its 113 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 6 Feb 2024.

Builds on

95 of 113 references.

Closest ancestors · 15

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2024Large Language Model based Multi-Agents: A Survey of Progress and Challenges21 Jan
  2. 2023OpenAgents: An Open Platform for Language Agents in the Wild16 Oct
  3. 2023A Dynamic LLM-Powered Agent Network for Task-Oriented Agent Collaboration3 Oct
  4. 2023Adapting LLM Agents with Universal Feedback in Communication1 Oct
  5. 2023AutoAgents: A Framework for Automatic Agent Generation29 Sep
  6. 2023The Rise and Potential of Large Language Model Based Agents: A Survey14 Sep
  7. 2023Cognitive Architectures for Language Agents5 Sep
  8. 2023Self-driven Grounding: Large Language Model Agents with Automatical Language-aligned Skill Learning4 Sep
  9. 2023ModelScope-Agent: Building Your Customizable Agent System with Open-source Large Language Models2 Sep
  10. 2023A Survey on Large Language Model based Autonomous Agents22 Aug
  11. 2023ProAgent: Building Proactive Cooperative Agents with Large Language Models22 Aug
  12. 2023AgentVerse: Facilitating Multi-Agent Collaboration and Exploring Emergent Behaviors21 Aug
3 more
  1. 2023MetaGPT: Meta Programming for A Multi-Agent Collaborative Framework1 Aug
  2. 2023Building Cooperative Embodied Agents Modularly with Large Language Models5 Jul
  3. 2023Describe, Explain, Plan and Select: Interactive Planning with Large Language Models Enables Open-World Multi-Task Agents3 Feb

Other references · 80

  1. 2017Attention Is All You Needcited by 59,932
  2. 2020Language Models are Few-Shot Learnerscited by 32,199
  3. 2020An Image is Worth 16x16 Words: Transformers for Image Recognition at Scalecited by 29,915
  4. 2023GPT-4 Technical Reportcited by 18,132
  5. 2022Training language models to follow instructions with human feedbackcited by 15,712
  6. 2017Proximal Policy Optimization Algorithmscited by 14,441
  7. 2023LLaMA: Open and Efficient Foundation Language Modelscited by 13,958
  8. 2022Chain-of-Thought Prompting Elicits Reasoning in Large Language Modelscited by 12,302
  9. 2022ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Modelscited by 8,355
  10. 2022Self-Consistency Improves Chain of Thought Reasoning in Language Modelscited by 5,601
  11. 2017Neural Discrete Representation Learningcited by 4,650
  12. 2020Training data-efficient image transformers & distillation through attentioncited by 4,560
38 more
  1. 2022Flamingo: a Visual Language Model for Few-Shot Learningcited by 4,337
  2. 2022Large Language Models are Zero-Shot Reasonerscited by 4,323
  3. 2023Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Toolscited by 4,072
  4. 2023Reflexion: Language Agents with Verbal Reinforcement Learningcited by 4,064
  5. 2017Deep reinforcement learning from human preferencescited by 3,846
  6. 2023Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behaviorcited by 3,500
  7. 2023Self-Refine: Iterative Refinement with Self-Feedbackcited by 3,317
  8. 2023Tree of Thoughts: Deliberate Problem Solving with Large Language Modelscited by 3,155
  9. 2022Scaling Instruction-Finetuned Language Modelscited by 2,997
  10. 2023Voyager: An Open-Ended Embodied Agent with Large Language Modelscited by 2,081
  11. 2023PaLM-E: An Embodied Multimodal Language Modelcited by 2,037
  12. 2022BLOOM: A 176B-Parameter Open-Access Multilingual Language Modelcited by 1,968
  13. 2023ToolLLM: Facilitating Large Language Models to Master 16000+ Real-world APIscited by 1,880
  14. 2021MLP-Mixer: An all-MLP Architecture for Visioncited by 1,441
  15. 2022Inner Monologue: Embodied Reasoning through Planning with Language Modelscited by 1,057
  16. 2023A Multitask, Multilingual, Multimodal Evaluation of ChatGPT on Reasoning, Hallucination, and Interactivitycited by 888
  17. 2023Graph of Thoughts: Solving Elaborate Problems with Large Language Modelscited by 873
  18. 2023CRITIC: Large Language Models Can Self-Correct with Tool-Interactive Critiquingcited by 751
  19. 2023Time-LLM: Time Series Forecasting by Reprogramming Large Language Modelscited by 680
  20. 2024Self-Rewarding Language Modelscited by 654
  21. 2021MobileViT: Light-weight, General-purpose, and Mobile-friendly Vision Transformercited by 636
  22. 2023RLAIF vs. RLHF: Scaling Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback with AI Feedbackcited by 615
  23. 2021Conditional Variational Autoencoder with Adversarial Learning for End-to-End Text-to-Speechcited by 555
  24. 2023MemoryBank: Enhancing Large Language Models with Long-Term Memorycited by 539
  25. 2023LLM+P: Empowering Large Language Models with Optimal Planning Proficiencycited by 496
  26. 2020Towards a Human-like Open-Domain Chatbotcited by 467
  27. 2022LLM-Planner: Few-Shot Grounded Planning for Embodied Agents with Large Language Modelscited by 459
  28. 2023AppAgent: Multimodal Agents as Smartphone Userscited by 407
  29. 2023Is ChatGPT Good at Search? Investigating Large Language Models as Re-Ranking Agentscited by 356
  30. 2023SayPlan: Grounding Large Language Models using 3D Scene Graphs for Scalable Robot Task Planningcited by 289
  31. 2023Ghost in the Minecraft: Generally Capable Agents for Open-World Environments via Large Language Models with Text-based Knowledge and Memorycited by 288
  32. 2023AudioGPT: Understanding and Generating Speech, Music, Sound, and Talking Headcited by 264
  33. 2023ReWOO: Decoupling Reasoning from Observations for Efficient Augmented Language Modelscited by 174
  34. 2023Clever Hans or Neural Theory of Mind? Stress Testing Social Reasoning in Large Language Modelscited by 161
  35. 2023SelfCheck: Using LLMs to Zero-Shot Check Their Own Step-by-Step Reasoningcited by 157
  36. 2022ProGen2: Exploring the Boundaries of Protein Language Modelscited by 156
  37. 2023ChatDB: Augmenting LLMs with Databases as Their Symbolic Memorycited by 136
  38. 2023Algorithm of Thoughts: Enhancing Exploration of Ideas in Large Language Modelscited by 92

50 most cited of 80 All 80 (JSON)

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 7 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2024: 6; 2025: 2; 2026: 1.

9 papers.

  1. 2024Scaling Large Language Model-based Multi-Agent Collaborationcited by 235
  2. 2024A Survey on Medical Large Language Models: Technology, Application, Trustworthiness, and Future Directionscited by 34
  3. 2024A Causal Explainable Guardrails for Large Language Modelscited by 18
  4. 2024Sora Detector: A Unified Hallucination Detection for Large Text-to-Video Modelscited by 17
  5. 2025Medical Reasoning in the Era of LLMs: A Systematic Review of Enhancement Techniques and Applicationscited by 10
  6. 2025Affordable AI Assistants with Knowledge Graph of Thoughtscited by 6
  7. 2024LLM-Agent-UMF: LLM-based Agent Unified Modeling Framework for Seamless Design of Multi Active/Passive Core-Agent Architecturescited by 5
  8. 2024Towards Action Hijacking of Large Language Model-based Agentcited by 4
  9. 2026GraphSeek: Next-Generation Graph Analytics with LLMscited by 1

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2025From Language to Action: A Review of Large Language Models as Autonomous Agents and Tool Users
  2. 2023Agents: An Open-source Framework for Autonomous Language Agents
  3. 2025Large Language Model Agent: A Survey on Methodology, Applications and Challenges
  4. 2024Exploring Large Language Model based Intelligent Agents: Definitions, Methods, and Prospects
  5. 2026AgentGym2: Benchmarking Large Language Model Agents in De-Idealized Real-World Environments
  6. 2024Coalitions of Large Language Models Increase the Robustness of AI Agents
  7. 2025Position: The Real Barrier to LLM Agent Usability is Agentic ROI
  8. 2024Exploring Autonomous Agents through the Lens of Large Language Models: A Review