Cognitive Architectures for AI Agents

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Overview

Cognitive architectures study how to organize an agent’s perception, memory, goals, reasoning, and actions so it can behave coherently over time. Approaches range from symbolic and BDI-style systems, state machines, and global-workspace models to LLM-based agents with memory, tools, reflection, and specialized components; many combine these methods with learning or embodied control. Researchers evaluate them on long-horizon tasks such as navigation, household and mobile-device control, tool use, multi-agent coordination, and robot deployment, while also examining safety and human oversight. A central challenge is making agents persistent, grounded, and reliable without sacrificing adaptability, efficiency, or interpretability; adding cognitive modules alone does not guarantee better performance.

Latest papers

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86 papers8 papers in the last four weeks, down 53% on the four weeks before. 0.0% of all new papers.

  1. From Intelligence to Autonomy: Foundations and Construction of Autonomous Agents for Future Intelligent Systems

    Oct 24, 2026Hongda Zhang, Ziqing Zhou, Yuning Chen +5Agentic AISelf-Improving Agents

    Fudan University · Jiangsu Chuangling Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

  2. Causal-based approaches to explain and learn from self-extension - A review

    Oct 23, 2026Rebeca Marfil, Pablo Bustos, Antonio BanderaSelf-Evolving AgentsCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

    Universidad de M´alaga, Spain · Universidad de Extremadura, Spain

  3. When Reality Outpaces Cognition: A New Scaling Principle for Reliable Intelligence

    Oct 14, 2026Ahsan Adeel, Talha Bin RiazAI Agent ReliabilityCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

    University of Stirling

  4. Reflect After Failure: Brain-Inspired Self-Evolving Agents for Embodied Spatial Intelligence

    Oct 14, 2026Xin Li, Xiaohuan Gu, Yifan Wang +6Embodied Spatial ReasoningSelf-Evolving Agents

    City University of Hong Kong · East China Normal University · University of Electronic Science and Technology of China +2

  5. JevGPT: Thinking Fast and Slow in Autonomous Research

    Oct 13, 2026Yasheng Sun, Yanning Dai, Yimeng Chen +9Dual-Process ReasoningAutonomous Research Agents

    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

  6. Look Before You Leap: Thermodynamic Arbitration of Parametric and Non-Parametric Knowledge in LLM Agents via Self-Regulating Memory Architectures

    Oct 4, 2026Akash Das, Ishan RoyCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsAdaptive RAG

    Fidelity Investments

  7. DeReAct: Decomposed Reasoning and Acting for Reliable AI Agents

    Oct 1, 2026Ajay Vohra, Tao Chen, Neeti Narayan +1AI Agent ReliabilityRuntime Enforcement for AI Agents

    Amazon · Apple

  8. Beyond End-to-End Black Box Mapping: An Intentional Agent Framework for Cognitive-driven Facial Reaction Generation

    Sep 28, 2026Hanzhong Zhang, Jindong Wang, Siyang SongCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsAffective Computing

    Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK · Department of Data Science, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, USA

  9. From S3Q Theory to Implementation: Towards an Architecture for Machine Qualia

    Sep 25, 2026Tetiana Grinberg, Katrina Schleisman, Patryk Laurent +6Machine ConsciousnessCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

    Symbiokinetics Inc. · Galois, Inc. · Lighthill Technologies, Inc. +6

  10. Behaviora - A Conceptual Architecture for External and Internal Behavior of Robots and Agents

    Sep 23, 2026Gote NymanCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

  11. Generative Embodied Multiple Behavior Control Systems for Human-like Agents

    Sep 19, 2026Chongyu Bao, Haokai Yang, Yuhan Wang +3Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsHuman Behavior Simulation

    Bristol Digital Futures Institute, University of Bristol · University of Copenhagen · Clemson University

  12. A Mathematical Model of Motivated Emotional Mind - Cognitive Embodied System

    Sep 17, 2026Wiesław L. Galus, Janusz A. StarzykCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsComputational Cognitive Modeling

  13. A Proposal for an Agentic AI Architecture to Support Multi-Domain Decision-Making in the Brazilian Armed Forces

    Sep 17, 2026Gioliano de Oliveira Braga, Sidnei Barbieri, Ágney Lopes Roth Ferraz +2Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsAI-Assisted Decision Making

    Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA), São José dos Campos/SP - Brasil

  14. An Architecture for Long-Horizon Agents: Levels, Ticks and Cascaded Intelligence

    Sep 17, 2026Erik Nijkamp, Anurag Koul, Egor Pakhomov +1Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsContinual Learning for LLM Agents

    Salesforce AI Research

  15. Cognitive Extensions for Dual-Process Language Agents: Memory and Self-Reflection in Interactive Environments

    Sep 16, 2026João Meneses dos Santos, Arlindo L. OliveiraCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsSelf-Reflection in Language Model Agents

    Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal · INESC-ID, Lisboa, Portugal

  16. Self-Emergence Agent Architecture:Behavior-Inertia HMM, Reflexive Metacognition,and Social-Contrastive Self-Modeling

    Sep 15, 2026Xiaoyang LiuSelf-Evolving AgentsCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

    Independent Researcher

  17. The Agentic Company OS: Substrate Inversion for Sustained Enterprise Agent Deployment

    Sep 11, 2026Oliver Aleksander Larsen, Mahyar T. MoghaddamEnterprise AI AgentsLLM Agents

    SDU Software Engineering, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

  18. Bringing AI to Autonomous Systems -- From Cognition to Collective Intelligence

    Sep 11, 2026Joseph SifakisCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsMulti-Agent Systems

    Verimag Laboratory, France

  19. From State Synchronization to Cognitive Self-Evolution: An Operational Architecture for Cognitive Digital Twins

    Sep 9, 2026Haoran Gao, An Li, Zhen Li +1Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsDigital Twins

    Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia University, Montreal QC H3G 1M8, Canada

  20. The Mirror Agent Model: a Bayesian Architecture for Interpretable Agent Behavior

    Sep 4, 2026Michele Persiani, Thomas HellströmExplainable Artificial IntelligenceCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

    Department of Computing Science, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden

  21. Continuous Cognitive Coverage for Autonomous Robots via Event-Dependent Cognitive Treatment and Learning

    Sep 4, 2026Hong SuCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsRobot Learning

    School of Computer Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China

  22. Toward anIntegrated Cognitive--Ergonomic Architecture forHuman--Machine Interaction: Combining Cognitive Models with~Human Factors Ergonomics

    Sep 3, 2026Antoine Lenat, Olivier Cheminat, Damien Chablat +1Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsComputational Cognitive Modeling

    Cetim, LS2N, LS2N - équipe RoMas, LS2N - équipe PACCE · Cetim · LS2N - équipe RoMas, LS2N +1

  23. An Agent Model Abstraction for Human-AI Teaming Cognitive Coupling

    Sep 3, 2026Kolitha Kottagaha W. M, Jos A. C. Bokhorst, Ben Gaffinet +1Human-AI CollaborationMulti-Agent Coordination

    University of Groningen, 9700 AV, Groningen, The Netherlands · Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, Belval, Luxembourg

  24. Classic AI Scaffolding for LLM Social Agents

    Sep 1, 2026Anatole GershmanCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsHuman Behavior Simulation

    Carnegie Mellon University (retired)

  25. Agents in the Large: Perception-Centered Architecture for Persistent Agents

    Aug 31, 2026Shihan Dou, Haoxiang Jia, Shichun Liu +14Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsLifelong Learning Agents

    NLP Lab, Fudan University · PL Lab, Peking University · CCDS, Nanyang Technological University +1

  26. EMERGE-Policy: A Robot Mind Emerges Beyond a Single Policy

    Aug 30, 2026Zhirui Fang, Qingchi Yu, Ziyang Chen +18Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsRobot Policy Learning

    Tsinghua University · Nanjing University of Science and Technology · Xi’an Jiaotong University +3

  27. A Cognitive Architecture for Shared Autonomy in AUV Operations

    Aug 29, 2026Niamh Ellis, Thi Tran, Ignacio Carlucho +1Shared AutonomyCognitive Architectures for AI Agents

    School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK · School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK

  28. Where Cognition Lives: Dissecting Emergent from Computed Function in a Minimal Complete Cognitive Architecture

    Aug 23, 2026Francisco M. Arrabal-Campos, Francisco G. Montoya, Alfredo Alcayde +1Cognitive Architectures for AI AgentsComputational Cognitive Modeling

    Department of Chemistry and Physics, Research Centre CIAIMBITAL Department of Engineering, Research Centre CIAIMBITAL University of Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain

  29. Enhancing Virtual Agents through SLMs and Edge-Computing: An Exploratory Evaluation of Think and Memory Processes

    Aug 13, 2026Aimilios Hadjiliasi, Louis NisiotisCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsOn-Device Language Model Inference

    Department of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics University of Central Lancashire, Cyprus

  30. Hierarchical Compositionality for An Assistive AI Agent

    Aug 11, 2026Tianyi Fu, Mohan SridharanCognitive Architectures for AI AgentsCoreference Resolution

    University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom