Agents
LLMs as Continuous Learners: Improving the Reproduction of Defective Code in Software Issues
Lin, Yalan, Ma, Yingwei, Cao, Rongyu, Li, Binhua, Huang, Fei, Gu, Xiaodong, Li, Yongbin
Reproducing buggy code is the first and crucially important step in issue resolving, as it aids in identifying the underlying problems and validating that generated patches resolve the problem. While numerous approaches have been proposed for this task, they primarily address common, widespread errors and struggle to adapt to unique, evolving errors specific to individual code repositories. To fill this gap, we propose EvoCoder, a multi-agent continuous learning framework for issue code reproduction. EvoCoder adopts a reflection mechanism that allows the LLM to continuously learn from previously resolved problems and dynamically refine its strategies to new emerging challenges. To prevent experience bloating, EvoCoder introduces a novel hierarchical experience pool that enables the model to adaptively update common and repo-specific experiences. Our experimental results show a 20\% improvement in issue reproduction rates over existing SOTA methods. Furthermore, integrating our reproduction mechanism significantly boosts the overall accuracy of the existing issue-resolving pipeline.
Learning to Cooperate with Humans using Generative Agents
Liang, Yancheng, Chen, Daphne, Gupta, Abhishek, Du, Simon S., Jaques, Natasha
Training agents that can coordinate zero-shot with humans is a key mission in multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL). Current algorithms focus on training simulated human partner policies which are then used to train a Cooperator agent. The simulated human is produced either through behavior cloning over a dataset of human cooperation behavior, or by using MARL to create a population of simulated agents. However, these approaches often struggle to produce a Cooperator that can coordinate well with real humans, since the simulated humans fail to cover the diverse strategies and styles employed by people in the real world. We show \emph{learning a generative model of human partners} can effectively address this issue. Our model learns a latent variable representation of the human that can be regarded as encoding the human's unique strategy, intention, experience, or style. This generative model can be flexibly trained from any (human or neural policy) agent interaction data. By sampling from the latent space, we can use the generative model to produce different partners to train Cooperator agents. We evaluate our method -- \textbf{G}enerative \textbf{A}gent \textbf{M}odeling for \textbf{M}ulti-agent \textbf{A}daptation (GAMMA) -- on Overcooked, a challenging cooperative cooking game that has become a standard benchmark for zero-shot coordination. We conduct an evaluation with real human teammates, and the results show that GAMMA consistently improves performance, whether the generative model is trained on simulated populations or human datasets. Further, we propose a method for posterior sampling from the generative model that is biased towards the human data, enabling us to efficiently improve performance with only a small amount of expensive human interaction data.
XAgents: A Framework for Interpretable Rule-Based Multi-Agents Cooperation
Yang, Hailong, Gu, Mingxian, Zhao, Renhuo, Hu, Fuping, Deng, Zhaohong, Chen, Yitang
Extracting implicit knowledge and logical reasoning abilities from large language models (LLMs) has consistently been a significant challenge. The advancement of multi-agent systems has further en-hanced the capabilities of LLMs. Inspired by the structure of multi-polar neurons (MNs), we propose the XAgents framework, an in-terpretable multi-agent cooperative framework based on the IF-THEN rule-based system. The IF-Parts of the rules are responsible for logical reasoning and domain membership calculation, while the THEN-Parts are comprised of domain expert agents that generate domain-specific contents. Following the calculation of the member-ship, XAgetns transmits the task to the disparate domain rules, which subsequently generate the various responses. These re-sponses are analogous to the answers provided by different experts to the same question. The final response is reached at by eliminat-ing the hallucinations and erroneous knowledge of the LLM through membership computation and semantic adversarial genera-tion of the various domain rules. The incorporation of rule-based interpretability serves to bolster user confidence in the XAgents framework. We evaluate the efficacy of XAgents through a com-parative analysis with the latest AutoAgents, in which XAgents demonstrated superior performance across three distinct datasets. We perform post-hoc interpretable studies with SHAP algorithm and case studies, proving the interpretability of XAgent in terms of input-output feature correlation and rule-based semantics.
Transforming the Hybrid Cloud for Emerging AI Workloads
Chen, Deming, Youssef, Alaa, Pendse, Ruchi, Schleife, Andrรฉ, Clark, Bryan K., Hamann, Hendrik, He, Jingrui, Laino, Teodoro, Varshney, Lav, Wang, Yuxiong, Sil, Avirup, Jabbarvand, Reyhaneh, Xu, Tianyin, Kindratenko, Volodymyr, Costa, Carlos, Adve, Sarita, Mendis, Charith, Zhang, Minjia, Nรบรฑez-Corrales, Santiago, Ganti, Raghu, Srivatsa, Mudhakar, Kim, Nam Sung, Torrellas, Josep, Huang, Jian, Seelam, Seetharami, Nahrstedt, Klara, Abdelzaher, Tarek, Eilam, Tamar, Zhao, Huimin, Manica, Matteo, Iyer, Ravishankar, Hirzel, Martin, Adve, Vikram, Marinov, Darko, Franke, Hubertus, Tong, Hanghang, Ainsworth, Elizabeth, Zhao, Han, Vasisht, Deepak, Do, Minh, Oliveira, Fabio, Pacifici, Giovanni, Puri, Ruchir, Nagpurkar, Priya
This white paper, developed through close collaboration between IBM Research and UIUC researchers within the IIDAI Institute, envisions transforming hybrid cloud systems to meet the growing complexity of AI workloads through innovative, full-stack co-design approaches, emphasizing usability, manageability, affordability, adaptability, efficiency, and scalability. By integrating cutting-edge technologies such as generative and agentic AI, cross-layer automation and optimization, unified control plane, and composable and adaptive system architecture, the proposed framework addresses critical challenges in energy efficiency, performance, and cost-effectiveness. Incorporating quantum computing as it matures will enable quantum-accelerated simulations for materials science, climate modeling, and other high-impact domains. Collaborative efforts between academia and industry are central to this vision, driving advancements in foundation models for material design and climate solutions, scalable multimodal data processing, and enhanced physics-based AI emulators for applications like weather forecasting and carbon sequestration. Research priorities include advancing AI agentic systems, LLM as an Abstraction (LLMaaA), AI model optimization and unified abstractions across heterogeneous infrastructure, end-to-end edge-cloud transformation, efficient programming model, middleware and platform, secure infrastructure, application-adaptive cloud systems, and new quantum-classical collaborative workflows. These ideas and solutions encompass both theoretical and practical research questions, requiring coordinated input and support from the research community. This joint initiative aims to establish hybrid clouds as secure, efficient, and sustainable platforms, fostering breakthroughs in AI-driven applications and scientific discovery across academia, industry, and society.
Multi-Agent Best Arm Identification in Stochastic Linear Bandits
Agrawal, Sanjana, Blanco, Saรบl A.
The multi-armed bandit problem (MAB) is a classic framework in sequential decision making, capturing the exploration-exploitation trade off faced in many real-world domains, for example, recommendation systems [Gentile et al., 2014, Li et al., 2010, Li et al., 2016], clinical trials [Durand et al., 2018, Wang, 1991], online advertising [Tao et al., 2018], adaptive routing [Awerbuch and Kleinberg, 2008] and so on. An instance of MAB problem consists of a set of possible choices called arms. The learning agent sequentially chooses an arm and receives a reward related to the chosen arm. The goal of the agent is to either maximize the cumulative reward (equivalently, minimize the regret) over the time, referred as regret minimization problem [Bubeck et al., 2012, Cesa-Bianchi et al., 2013, Lattimore and Szepesvรกri, 2020] or, to identify the best arm within a specified constraint. The latter variant is known as the best-arm identification or pure exploration problem, which is studied in two different settings based on the specific constraint: (1) fixed-budget [Audibert and Bubeck, 2010, Bubeck et al., 2009, Karnin et al., 2013] and (2) fixed-confidence [Chen et al., 2017, Garivier and Kaufmann, 2016, Mannor and Tsitsiklis, 2004]. While the fixed-budget setting aims to identify the best arm with smallest error probability within the allocated time budget, the goal in fixed-confidence setup is to identify the best arm with the given confidence level using minimum arm pulls. In this paper, we study fixed-budget best-arm identification in stochastic linear bandit (SLB) [Auer, 2002, Abbasi-Yadkori et al., 2011].
EDA-Aware RTL Generation with Large Language Models
Islam, Mubashir ul, Sami, Humza, Gaillardon, Pierre-Emmanuel, Tenace, Valerio
Large Language Models (LLMs) have become increasingly popular for generating RTL code. However, producing error-free RTL code in a zero-shot setting remains highly challenging for even state-of-the-art LLMs, often leading to issues that require manual, iterative refinement. This additional debugging process can dramatically increase the verification workload, underscoring the need for robust, automated correction mechanisms to ensure code correctness from the start. In this work, we introduce AIvril2, a self-verifying, LLM-agnostic agentic framework aimed at enhancing RTL code generation through iterative corrections of both syntax and functional errors. Our approach leverages a collaborative multi-agent system that incorporates feedback from error logs generated by EDA tools to automatically identify and resolve design flaws. Experimental results, conducted on the VerilogEval-Human benchmark suite, demonstrate that our framework significantly improves code quality, achieving nearly a 3.4$\times$ enhancement over prior methods. In the best-case scenario, functional pass rates of 77% for Verilog and 66% for VHDL were obtained, thus substantially improving the reliability of LLM-driven RTL code generation.
AI-Driven Agents with Prompts Designed for High Agreeableness Increase the Likelihood of Being Mistaken for a Human in the Turing Test
Leรณn-Domรญnguez, U., Flores-Flores, E. D., Garcรญa-Jasso, A. J., Gรณmez-Cuellar, M. K., Torres-Sรกnchez, D., Basora-Marimon, A.
Large Language Models based on transformer algorithms have revolutionized Artificial Intelligence by enabling verbal interaction with machines akin to human conversation. These AI agents have surpassed the Turing Test, achieving confusion rates up to 50%. However, challenges persist, especially with the advent of robots and the need to humanize machines for improved Human-AI collaboration. In this experiment, three GPT agents with varying levels of agreeableness (disagreeable, neutral, agreeable) based on the Big Five Inventory were tested in a Turing Test. All exceeded a 50% confusion rate, with the highly agreeable AI agent surpassing 60%. This agent was also recognized as exhibiting the most human-like traits. Various explanations in the literature address why these GPT agents were perceived as human, including psychological frameworks for understanding anthropomorphism. These findings highlight the importance of personality engineering as an emerging discipline in artificial intelligence, calling for collaboration with psychology to develop ergonomic psychological models that enhance system adaptability in collaborative activities.
Cyborg Insect Factory: Automatic Assembly System to Build up Insect-computer Hybrid Robot Based on Vision-guided Robotic Arm Manipulation of Custom Bipolar Electrodes
Lin, Qifeng, Vuong, Nghia, Song, Kewei, Tran-Ngoc, Phuoc Thanh, Nonato, Greg Angelo Gonzales, Sato, Hirotaka
The advancement of insect-computer hybrid robots holds significant promise for navigating complex terrains and enhancing robotics applications. This study introduced an automatic assembly method for insect-computer hybrid robots, which was accomplished by mounting backpack with precise implantation of custom-designed bipolar electrodes. We developed a stimulation protocol for the intersegmental membrane between pronotum and mesothorax of the Madagascar hissing cockroach, allowing for bipolar electrodes' automatic implantation using a robotic arm. The assembly process was integrated with a deep learning-based vision system to accurately identify the implantation site, and a dedicated structure to fix the insect (68 s for the whole assembly process). The automatically assembled hybrid robots demonstrated steering control (over 70 degrees for 0.4 s stimulation) and deceleration control (68.2% speed reduction for 0.4 s stimulation), matching the performance of manually assembled systems. Furthermore, a multi-agent system consisting of 4 hybrid robots successfully covered obstructed outdoor terrain (80.25% for 10 minutes 31 seconds), highlighting the feasibility of mass-producing these systems for practical applications. The proposed automatic assembly strategy reduced preparation time for the insect-computer hybrid robots while maintaining their precise control, laying a foundation for scalable production and deployment in real-world applications.
Multi-agent reinforcement learning strategy to maximize the lifetime of Wireless Rechargeable
The thesis proposes a generalized charging framework for multiple mobile chargers to maximize the network lifetime and ensure target coverage and connectivity in large scale WRSNs. Moreover, a multi-point charging model is leveraged to enhance charging efficiency, where the MC can charge multiple sensors simultaneously at each charging location. The thesis proposes an effective Decentralized Partially Observable Semi-Markov Decision Process (Dec POSMDP) model that promotes Mobile Chargers (MCs) cooperation and detects optimal charging locations based on realtime network information. Furthermore, the proposal allows reinforcement algorithms to be applied to different networks without requiring extensive retraining. To solve the Dec POSMDP model, the thesis proposes an Asynchronous Multi Agent Reinforcement Learning algorithm (AMAPPO) based on the Proximal Policy Optimization algorithm (PPO).
Metacognition for Unknown Situations and Environments (MUSE)
Valiente, Rodolfo, Pilly, Praveen K.
Metacognition--the awareness and regulation of one's cognitive processes--is central to human adaptability in unknown situations. In contrast, current autonomous agents often struggle in novel environments due to their limited capacity for adaptation. We hypothesize that metacognition is a critical missing ingredient in adaptive autonomous systems, equipping them with the cognitive flexibility needed to tackle unfamiliar challenges. Given the broad scope of metacognitive abilities, we focus on two key aspects: competence awareness and strategy selection for novel tasks. To this end, we propose the Metacognition for Unknown Situations and Environments (MUSE) framework, which integrates metacognitive processes--specifically self-awareness and self-regulation--into autonomous agents. We present two initial implementations of MUSE: one based on world modeling and another leveraging large language models (LLMs), both instantiating the metacognitive cycle. Our system continuously learns to assess its competence on a given task and uses this self-awareness to guide iterative cycles of strategy selection. MUSE agents show significant improvements in self-awareness and self-regulation, enabling them to solve novel, out-of-distribution tasks more effectively compared to Dreamer-v3-based reinforcement learning and purely prompt-based LLM agent approaches. This work highlights the promise of approaches inspired by cognitive and neural systems in enabling autonomous systems to adapt to new environments, overcoming the limitations of current methods that rely heavily on extensive training data.