# Soul Computing: A Theoretical Framework and Technical Architecture for Intelligent Agents with Independent Consciousness

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.10413 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.10413/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (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 36 of its 76 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Jun 2026.

## 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 36)

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- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [Tree of Thoughts: Deliberate Problem Solving with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.10601/) (2023)
- [A Survey on Large Language Model based Autonomous Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.11432/) (2023)
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- [State of the Art on Neural Rendering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.03805/) (2020)
- [Large Language Models Empowered Agent-based Modeling and Simulation: A Survey and Perspectives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.11970/) (2023)
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- [SocioVerse: A World Model for Social Simulation Powered by LLM Agents and A Pool of 10 Million Real-World Users](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.10157/) (2025)
- [FLOAT: Generative Motion Latent Flow Matching for Audio-driven Talking Portrait](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.01064/) (2024)
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- [Enhancing Persona Consistency for LLMs' Role-Playing using Persona-Aware Contrastive Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.17662/) (2025)
- [REMem: Reasoning with Episodic Memory in Language Agent](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.13530/) (2026)
- [Coarse-to-Fine Grounded Memory for LLM Agent Planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.15305/) (2025)
- [Emotions Where Art Thou: Understanding and Characterizing the Emotional Latent Space of Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.22042/) (2025)
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- [Personality Vector: Modulating Personality of Large Language Models by Model Merging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.19727/) (2025)
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## Abstract (arXiv)

Breakthroughs in large language models and multimodal generation technologies have propelled the digital reconstruction of human mental traits, emotional patterns, and long-term memory from science fiction toward engineering practice. Yet current research and industry practices at the intersection of AI and digital humans remain hampered by fundamental conceptual ambiguities: the essential differences between next-generation intelligent agents and traditional virtual humans, the construction pathways for digital entities possessing self-identity, and the core technical and ethical challenges confronting this domain all demand urgent clarification. This paper systematically examines the transformative logic underlying the transition from traditional virtual humans to the ``Soul Computing'' paradigm, driven by frontier AI technologies. We first analyze the evolutionary patterns of human consciousness and memory mechanisms, reassessing the core value of massive multimodal digital fragments in the reverse reconstruction of individual mental worlds. On this basis, we formally delineate the academic connotations of narrow and broad Soul Computing for the first time, clarifying its academic boundaries and essential distinctions from Affective Computing, Historical Reconstruction, and Mortal Computation. We argue that Soul Computing systems must architecturally construct an ``Intensional'' core rather than serving as purely ``Extensional'' functional carriers, thereby enabling the fundamental transition of AI from toolhood to living agency.