Cited by 77Digital Transformation in IndustryFlexible and Reconfigurable Manufacturing SystemsMulti-Agent Systems and Negotiation

AgentAI: A comprehensive survey on autonomous agents in distributed AI for industry 4.0

Open access
Piccialli, Francesco, Chiaro, Diletta, Sarwar, Sundas, Cerciello, Donato, Qi, Pian, Mele, Valeria·2025·Expert Systems with Applications

Abstract

AgentAI represents a transformative approach within distributed Artificial Intelligence (AI) in which autonomous agents work either individually or collaboratively in decentralized environments to address challenging problems. AgentAI enhances scalability, robustness, and flexibility by utilizing advanced communication, learning, and decision-making capabilities, making it integral to diverse applications in Industry 4.0. The ability of AI systems to interpret sensory data in open-world environments has seen significant advancements in recent years. This progress emphasizes the need to move beyond reductionist approaches and embrace more embodied and cohesive systems, which integrate foundational models into agent-driven actions. Existing surveys often focus on isolated domains or specific autonomy levels, lacking a cohesive analysis that spans the full spectrum of AgentAI development in Industry 4.0. This survey explicitly fills this gap by introducing a multi-domain taxonomy and by systematically analyzing both non-autonomous and fully autonomous AgentAI systems, offering a comprehensive synthesis not previously available in the literature. Additionally, the paper extends the discussion to Industry 5.0 and 6.0, exploring the evolution of AgentAI from automation to collaboration and, ultimately, to fully autonomous systems. This comprehensive analysis highlights the potential of AgentAI in driving industries toward a more efficient, sustainable, and adaptable future.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.eswa.2025.128404

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Authors
Piccialli, F., Chiaro, D., Sarwar, S., Cerciello, D., Qi, P., & Mele, V.
Affiliations
University of Naples Federico II (IT)
Corresponding author
Piccialli, Francesco
Venue
Expert Systems with Applications
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2025-10
Volume
291
Pages
128404
ISSN
0957-4174 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4410954314
Cited by
77
References
144
Citations by year
2026: 63 · 2025: 14
FWCI
37.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
Expert Systems with Applications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering › Digital Transformation in Industry
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering › Flexible and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Multi-Agent Systems and Negotiation
Keywords
autonomous agents, distributed artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0, Industry 6.0, multi-agent systems, decentralized systems, embodied AI, large language models, autonomous systems, human-AI collaboration

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