LLM Agents: When Large Language Models Do Stuff For You

Large Language Models (LLMs) are being used to create autonomous "agents" capable of handling complex tasks with minimal human input. These LLM agents can manipulate their environment using tools such as APIs, and they have the potential to revolutionize various industries by automating tasks that previously required human intervention. Several experimental LLM agent-based projects are gaining momentum, with some predicting that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will likely involve some flavor of agent framework. Academic research on LLM agents includes projects like Voyager, which learned how to interact with Minecraft's 3D world and continuously improved its skills through exploration and experimentation. Independent open-source LLM agent projects include AutoGPT, BabyAGI, GPT Researcher, and others that leverage existing LLM frameworks or create custom agents from scratch. While there are challenges to overcome in the development of autonomous goal-driven LLM agents, such as reliable translation between natural language and actions, decreasing inference costs, and increasing tool availability, these issues do not seem insurmountable. The potential for LLM agents to automate complex tasks and make computing more accessible to a wider range of people is an exciting prospect that could transform various industries.