Semantic Web and Software Agents -- A Forgotten Wave of Artificial Intelligence?

arXiv 2503.20793 ↗First posted 20 Mar 2025cs.SI cs.CY cs.DLcited by 0

On the map: LLM agents and tool use → Web, search, and research agents

Abstract (arXiv)

The history of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a narrative of waves -- rising optimism followed by crashing disappointments. AI winters, such as the early 2000s, are often remembered as barren periods of innovation. This paper argues that such a perspective overlooks a crucial wave of AI that seems to be forgotten: the rise of the Semantic Web, which is based on knowledge representation, logic, and reasoning, and its interplay with intelligent Software Agents. Fast forward to today, and ChatGPT has reignited AI enthusiasm, built on deep learning and advanced neural models. However, before Large Language Models (LLMs) dominated the conversation, another ambitious vision emerged -- one where AI-driven Software Agents autonomously served Web users based on a structured, machine-interpretable Web. The Semantic Web aimed to transform the World Wide Web into an ecosystem where AI could reason, understand, and act. Between 2000 and 2010, this vision sparked a significant research boom, only to fade into obscurity as AI's mainstream narrative shifted elsewhere. Today, as LLMs edge toward autonomous execution, we revisit this overlooked wave. By analyzing its academic impact through bibliometric data, we highlight the Semantic Web's role in AI history and its untapped potential for modern Software Agent development. Recognizing this forgotten chapter not only deepens our understanding of AI's cyclical evolution but also offers key insights for integrating emerging technologies.

Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026). Placed in Web, search, and research agents, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use. Builds on 23 of its 72 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 20 Mar 2025.

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11 more

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