mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

A Survey on LLM-powered Agents for Recommender Systems

arXiv 2502.10050 ↗First posted 14 Feb 2025cs.IR cs.AIcited by 50

On the map: LLM agents and tool use → Agentic recommender systems

Abstract (arXiv)

Recommender systems are essential components of many online platforms, yet traditional approaches still struggle with understanding complex user preferences and providing explainable recommendations. The emergence of Large Language Model (LLM)-powered agents offers a promising approach by enabling natural language interactions and interpretable reasoning, potentially transforming research in recommender systems. This survey provides a systematic review of the emerging applications of LLM-powered agents in recommender systems. We identify and analyze three key paradigms in current research: (1) Recommender-oriented approaches, which leverage intelligent agents to enhance the fundamental recommendation mechanisms; (2) Interaction-oriented approaches, which facilitate dynamic user engagement through natural dialogue and interpretable suggestions; and (3) Simulation-oriented approaches, which employ multi-agent frameworks to model complex user-item interactions and system dynamics. Beyond paradigm categorization, we analyze the architectural foundations of LLM-powered recommendation agents, examining their essential components: profile construction, memory management, strategic planning, and action execution. Our investigation extends to a comprehensive analysis of benchmark datasets and evaluation frameworks in this domain. This systematic examination not only illuminates the current state of LLM-powered agent recommender systems but also charts critical challenges and promising research directions in this transformative field.

Key facts. Cited by 50 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Agentic recommender systems, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use. Builds on 39 of its 49 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 14 Feb 2025.

Builds on

39 of 49 references.

Closest ancestors · 8

Same direction, newest first

  1. 2024Prospect Personalized Recommendation on Large Language Model-based Agent Platform28 Feb
  2. 2024MACRec: a Multi-Agent Collaboration Framework for Recommendation23 Feb
  3. 2024A Multi-Agent Conversational Recommender System2 Feb
  4. 2023On Generative Agents in Recommendation16 Oct
  5. 2023AgentCF: Collaborative Learning with Autonomous Language Agents for Recommender Systems13 Oct
  6. 2023Recommender AI Agent: Integrating Large Language Models for Interactive Recommendations31 Aug
  7. 2023RecMind: Large Language Model Powered Agent For Recommendation28 Aug
  8. 2023RAH! RecSys-Assistant-Human: A Human-Centered Recommendation Framework with LLM Agents19 Aug

Other references · 31

  1. 2023GPT-4 Technical Reportcited by 18,396
  2. 2022ReAct: Synergizing Reasoning and Acting in Language Modelscited by 8,695
  3. 2023Toolformer: Language Models Can Teach Themselves to Use Toolscited by 4,182
  4. 2023Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behaviorcited by 3,568
  5. 2023A Survey on Large Language Model based Autonomous Agentscited by 2,242
  6. 2023Gorilla: Large Language Model Connected with Massive APIscited by 1,332
  7. 2023HuggingGPT: Solving AI Tasks with ChatGPT and its Friends in Hugging Facecited by 1,190
  8. 2018Self-Attentive Sequential Recommendationcited by 1,184
  9. 2017Neural Collaborative Filteringcited by 1,111
  10. 2015Image-based Recommendations on Styles and Substitutescited by 706
  11. 2023TALLRec: An Effective and Efficient Tuning Framework to Align Large Language Model with Recommendationcited by 337
  12. 2023Large Language Models are Zero-Shot Rankers for Recommender Systemscited by 309
19 more
  1. 2023Adapting Large Language Models by Integrating Collaborative Semantics for Recommendationcited by 179
  2. 2018Towards Deep Conversational Recommendationscited by 176
  3. 2020A Survey on Conversational Recommender Systemscited by 143
  4. 2023User Behavior Simulation with Large Language Model based Agentscited by 140
  5. 2023Large Language Models as Zero-Shot Conversational Recommenderscited by 127
  6. 2023CoLLM: Integrating Collaborative Embeddings into Large Language Models for Recommendationcited by 100
  7. 2020Interactive Path Reasoning on Graph for Conversational Recommendationcited by 72
  8. 2021A Survey on Accuracy-oriented Neural Recommendation: From Collaborative Filtering to Information-rich Recommendationcited by 59
  9. 2023LlamaRec: Two-Stage Recommendation using Large Language Models for Rankingcited by 53
  10. 2024Let Me Do It For You: Towards LLM Empowered Recommendation via Tool Learningcited by 51
  11. 2024Evaluating Large Language Models as Generative User Simulators for Conversational Recommendationcited by 48
  12. 2024LLM-Powered User Simulator for Recommender Systemcited by 39
  13. 2023DRDT: Dynamic Reflection with Divergent Thinking for LLM-based Sequential Recommendationcited by 27
  14. 2024Large Language Models are Learnable Planners for Long-Term Recommendationcited by 24
  15. 2024A LLM-based Controllable, Scalable, Human-Involved User Simulator Framework for Conversational Recommender Systemscited by 13
  16. 2023Automated Interactive Domain-Specific Conversational Agents that Understand Human Dialogscited by 12
  17. 2024Knowledge Graph Enhanced Language Agents for Recommendationcited by 11
  18. 2024ULMRec: User-centric Large Language Model for Sequential Recommendationcited by 4
  19. 2024Personalized Recommendation Systems using Multimodal, Autonomous, Multi Agent Systemscited by 2

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 14; 2026: 36.

50 papers.

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  1. 2025A Survey of Large Language Model Empowered Agents for Recommendation and Search: Towards Next-Generation Information Retrievalcited by 33
  2. 2025LLM-Based Human-Agent Collaboration and Interaction Systems: A Surveycited by 29
  3. 2025AgentRecBench: Benchmarking LLM Agent-based Personalized Recommender Systemscited by 23
  4. 2025RecoWorld: Building Simulated Environments for Agentic Recommender Systemscited by 19
  5. 2025The Future is Agentic: Definitions, Perspectives, and Open Challenges of Multi-Agent Recommender Systemscited by 14
  6. 2025Are LLMs Reliable Rankers? Rank Manipulation via Two-Stage Token Optimizationcited by 9
  7. 2025Collab-REC: An LLM-based Agentic Framework for Balancing Recommendations in Tourismcited by 7
  8. 2026S2GR: Stepwise Semantic-Guided Reasoning in Latent Space for Generative Recommendationcited by 6
  9. 2026LLMs as Orchestrators: Constraint-Compliant Multi-Agent Optimization for Recommendation Systemscited by 5
  10. 2026Visual Inception: Compromising Long-term Planning in Agentic Recommenders via Multimodal Memory Poisoningcited by 5
  11. 2026Agentic Recommender System with Hierarchical Belief-State Memorycited by 5
  12. 2026Internalizing Multi-Agent Reasoning for Accurate and Efficient LLM-based Recommendationcited by 4
38 more
  1. 2026HyTRec: A Hybrid Temporal-Aware Attention Architecture for Long Behavior Sequential Recommendationcited by 4
  2. 2026RecRM-Bench: Benchmarking Multidimensional Reward Modeling for Agentic Recommender Systemscited by 4
  3. 2026Autonomous Information Seeking: A Roadmap for Agentic Recommender Systemscited by 4
  4. 2025Rethinking Group Recommender Systems in the Era of Generative AI: From One-Shot Recommendations to Agentic Group Decision Supportcited by 3
  5. 2025A Comprehensive Review on Harnessing Large Language Models to Overcome Recommender System Challengescited by 3
  6. 2026From Atom to Community: Structured and Evolving Agent Memory for User Behavior Modelingcited by 3
  7. 2026Incumbent Advantage: Brand Bias and Cognitive Manipulation Dynamics in LLM Recommendation Systemscited by 3
  8. 2025Agent0: Leveraging LLM Agents to Discover Multi-value Features from Text for Enhanced Recommendationscited by 2
  9. 2025Tree of Preferences for Diversified Recommendationcited by 2
  10. 2026RobustExplain: Evaluating Robustness of LLM-Based Explanation Agents for Recommendationcited by 2
  11. 2026Beyond Preset Identities: How Agents Form Stances and Boundaries in Generative Societiescited by 2
  12. 2026CORAL: An LLM-Native Harness for Production Recommender Systemscited by 2
  13. 2025MARC: Multimodal and Multi-Task Agentic Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Cold-Start Recommender Systemcited by 1
  14. 2026HAG: Hierarchical Demographic Tree-based Agent Generation for Topic-Adaptive Simulationcited by 1
  15. 2026Owen-Shapley Policy Optimization: A Principled RL Algorithm for Generative Search LLMscited by 1
  16. 2026TRACE: A Conversational Framework for Sustainable Tourism Recommendation with Agentic Counterfactual Explanationscited by 1
  17. 2025LlamaRec-LKG-RAG: A Single-Pass, Learnable Knowledge Graph-RAG Framework for LLM-Based Rankingcited by 0
  18. 2025From latent factors to language: a user study on LLM-generated explanations for an inherently interpretable matrix-based recommender systemcited by 0
  19. 2026Beyond Pipelines: A Fundamental Study on the Rise of Generative-Retrieval Architectures in Web Researchcited by 0
  20. 2026Through Their Eyes: Fixation-aligned Tuning for Personalized User Emulationcited by 0
  21. 2026MOSAIC: Multi-Domain Orthogonal Session Adaptive Intent Capture for Prescient Recommendationscited by 0
  22. 2026LLMAR: A Tuning-Free Recommendation Framework for Sparse and Text-Rich Industrial Domainscited by 0
  23. 2026Hierarchical Multi-Persona Induction from User Behavioral Logs: Learning Evidence-Grounded and Truthful Personascited by 0
  24. 2026RecoAtlas: From Semantic Plausibility to Set-Level Utility in LLM Recommendation Agentscited by 0
  25. 2026Personal Care Utility: Health as Everyday Infrastructurecited by 0
  26. 2026APeB: Benchmarking Personalization Ability of Large Language Model Agentscited by 0
  27. 2026An LLM-powered Agentic Recommendation System for Connected TV Content Discoverycited by 0
  28. 2026SR-Agent: An Experience-Driven Agentic Framework for Post-Ranking Strategy Refinement in E-Commerce Recommendationcited by 0
  29. 2026The User Asks, Platforms Compete: How Agentic Recommendation Markets Take Shapecited by 0
  30. 2026HyperAgent4POI: Dynamic Semantic Message Passing on Multi-Agent Hypergraphs for Missing-Modality Recommendationcited by 0
  31. 2026Attacking and Defending Multi-Agent Collaborative Filtering Systems Through Connectivitycited by 0
  32. 2026Delegation Asymmetry in Agentic Recommender Systems: Measuring Two-Sided Receptivity in Online Datingcited by 0
  33. 2026Bridging Search and CRM: Productionizing AI Product Research Agents for Customer Re-Engagementcited by 0
  34. 2026When Memory Takes Gradients: Collaborative Vector Memory for Agentic Recommender Systemscited by 0
  35. 2026Rethinking Indirect Prompt Injection as a Test-Time Search Problemcited by 0
  36. 2026Continual Graph Memory for Adaptive Recommendation under Intent Driftcited by 0
  37. 2026AtomRec: Evolving Atomic Memory for Agentic Recommendationcited by 0
  38. 2026PsyBer-Agent: A Psychology-Driven User Agent for Recommender Systemscited by 0

Similar, not cited

Close in wording, no citation either way

  1. 2024All Roads Lead to Rome: Unveiling the Trajectory of Recommender Systems Across the LLM Era
  2. 2025Towards Agentic Recommender Systems in the Era of Multimodal Large Language Models
  3. 2024Towards Next-Generation LLM-based Recommender Systems: A Survey and Beyond
  4. 2023How Can Recommender Systems Benefit from Large Language Models: A Survey
  5. 2025AgentRec: Next-Generation LLM-Powered Multi-Agent Collaborative Recommendation with Adaptive Intelligence
  6. 2025Thought-Augmented Planning for LLM-Powered Interactive Recommender Agent
  7. 2025Multi-Agent Collaborative Filtering: Orchestrating Users and Items for Agentic Recommendations
  8. 2026Do Recommendation Algorithms Work When Users Are LLM Agents? A Case Study on Moltbook