# A Call for Collaborative Intelligence: Why Human-Agent Systems Should Precede AI Autonomy

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.09420 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.09420/

## Key facts

- Cited by 9 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks, one of 16 directions in LLM agents and tool use.
- Builds on 84 of its 100 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 11 Jun 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM agents and tool use / [General LLM agent frameworks and benchmarks](https://mlsanity.com/agents/general-llm-agent-frameworks-and-benchmarks/)

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 84)

- [Evaluating Large Language Models Trained on Code](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03374/) (2021)
- [A Survey on Large Language Model based Autonomous Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.11432/) (2023)
- [Self-RAG: Learning to Retrieve, Generate, and Critique through Self-Reflection](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.11511/) (2023)
- [A Survey on Hallucination in Large Language Models: Principles, Taxonomy, Challenges, and Open Questions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.05232/) (2023)
- [A General Language Assistant as a Laboratory for Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.00861/) (2021)
- [BeaverTails: Towards Improved Safety Alignment of LLM via a Human-Preference Dataset](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.04657/) (2023)
- [Aligning Large Multimodal Models with Factually Augmented RLHF](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.14525/) (2023)
- [A Survey on the Memory Mechanism of Large Language Model based Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.13501/) (2024)
- [End-to-end Autonomous Driving: Challenges and Frontiers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.16927/) (2023)
- [Multi-Agent Collaboration: Harnessing the Power of Intelligent LLM Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.03314/) (2023)
- [MINT: Evaluating LLMs in Multi-turn Interaction with Tools and Language Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.10691/) (2023)
- [AI Chains: Transparent and Controllable Human-AI Interaction by Chaining Large Language Model Prompts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.01691/) (2021)
- [Large Language Model Agent: A Survey on Methodology, Applications and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.21460/) (2025)
- [InfLLM: Training-Free Long-Context Extrapolation for LLMs with an Efficient Context Memory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.04617/) (2024)
- [Large Language Model-Based Agents for Software Engineering: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.02977/) (2024)
- [From LLM Reasoning to Autonomous AI Agents: A Comprehensive Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.19678/) (2025)
- [LLM Multi-Agent Systems: Challenges and Open Problems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.03578/) (2024)
- [FinCon: A Synthesized LLM Multi-Agent System with Conceptual Verbal Reinforcement for Enhanced Financial Decision Making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.06567/) (2024)
- [MMedAgent: Learning to Use Medical Tools with Multi-modal Agent](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.02483/) (2024)
- [Unpacking DPO and PPO: Disentangling Best Practices for Learning from Preference Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.09279/) (2024)
- [Large Multimodal Agents: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.15116/) (2024)
- [Drive as You Speak: Enabling Human-Like Interaction with Large Language Models in Autonomous Vehicles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.10228/) (2023)
- [PersonaGym: Evaluating Persona Agents and LLMs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.18416/) (2024)
- [Is RLHF More Difficult than Standard RL?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.14111/) (2023)
- [A Survey of LLM-based Agents in Medicine: How far are we from Baymax?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.11211/) (2025)
- [Lifelong Learning of Large Language Model based Agents: A Roadmap](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.07278/) (2025)
- [PARTNR: A Benchmark for Planning and Reasoning in Embodied Multi-agent Tasks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.00081/) (2024)
- [Collaborative Gym: A Framework for Enabling and Evaluating Human-Agent Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.15701/) (2024)
- [LLMs Assist NLP Researchers: Critique Paper (Meta-)Reviewing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.16253/) (2024)
- [VLFeedback: A Large-Scale AI Feedback Dataset for Large Vision-Language Models Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.09421/) (2024)

## Built on by (most cited first, 9 of 9)

- [Agentic AI: A Comprehensive Survey of Architectures, Applications, and Future Directions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.25445/) (2025)
- [A Survey of Agent Memory in the Second Half: Towards Self-Evolving and Long-Horizon Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.06052/) (2026)
- [When Users Change Their Mind: Evaluating Interruptible Agents in Long-Horizon Web Navigation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.00892/) (2026)
- [Embracing Trustworthy Brain-Agent Collaboration as Paradigm Extension for Intelligent Assistive Technologies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.22095/) (2025)
- [Feedback by Design: Understanding and Overcoming User Feedback Barriers in Conversational Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.01405/) (2026)
- [Overseeing Agents Without Constant Oversight: Challenges and Opportunities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.16844/) (2026)
- [MADIAVE: Multi-Agent Debate for Implicit Attribute Value Extraction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.05611/) (2025)
- [Harnesses for Inference-Time Alignment over Execution Trajectories](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.21516/) (2026)
- [The Boundaries of Automation: A Theory of Persistent Human Participation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.21547/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Recent improvements in large language models (LLMs) have led many researchers to focus on building fully autonomous AI agents. This position paper questions whether this approach is the right path forward, as these autonomous systems still have problems with reliability, transparency, and understanding the actual requirements of human. We suggest a different approach: LLM-based Human-Agent Systems (LLM-HAS), where AI works with humans rather than replacing them. By keeping human involved to provide guidance, answer questions, and maintain control, these systems can be more trustworthy and adaptable. Looking at examples from healthcare, finance, and software development, we show how human-AI teamwork can handle complex tasks better than AI working alone. We also discuss the challenges of building these collaborative systems and offer practical solutions. This paper argues that progress in AI should not be measured by how independent systems become, but by how well they can work with humans. The most promising future for AI is not in systems that take over human roles, but in those that enhance human capabilities through meaningful partnership.