Contemporary Agent Technology: LLM-Driven Advancements vs Classic Multi-Agent Systems

Abstract: This contribution provides our comprehensive reflection on the contemporary agent technology, with a particular focus on the advancements driven by LLMs (LLM) vs classic Multi-Agent Systems (MAS). It delves into the models, approaches, and characteristics that define these new systems. The paper emphasizes the critical analysis of how the recent developments relate to the foundational MAS, as articulated in the core academic literature. Finally, it identifies key challenges and promising future directions in this rapidly evolving domain.