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Conversational Agents and the Understanding of Human Language: Reflections on AI, LLMs, and Cognitive Science

arXiv 2603.27809 ↗First posted 29 Mar 2026cs.CLcited by 0

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

Abstract (arXiv)

In this paper, we discuss the relationship between natural language processing by computers (NLP) and the understanding of the human language capacity, as studied by linguistics and cognitive science. We outline the evolution of NLP from its beginnings until the age of large language models, and highlight for each of its main paradigms some similarities and differences with theories of the human language capacity. We conclude that the evolution of language technology has not substantially deepened our understanding of how human minds process natural language, despite the impressive language abilities attained by current chatbots using artificial neural networks.

Key facts. No citing papers in the map yet (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 13 of its 33 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 29 Mar 2026.

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13 of 33 references.

References · 13

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1 more
  1. 2015Effective Approaches to Attention-based Neural Machine Translationcited by 1,024

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  6. 2025Recognizing Artificial Minds: A Philosophical Defense of AI Cognition
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  8. 2025In Dialogue with Intelligence: Rethinking Large Language Models as Collective Knowledge