Cover not available

Article In: Terminology: Online-First Articles

From tool to partner

A diachronic frame-based analysis of the concept ‘AI Agent’

ORCiD logo with link | Suqian University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
Over recent decades, AI’s rapid development has been matched by shifts in its specialized vocabulary. The terminological unit AI Agent has become central to how systems are described, built, and regulated, yet research is split. Technical histories track capabilities but neglect linguistic construction, while terminological studies are often qualitative and synchronic. This study integrates Frame-Based Terminology (FBT) with a custom NLP pipeline to reconstruct the semantic frame of the “AI Agent” from 1970 to 2026. Using a diachronic Springer Nature corpus, we extract recurrent predicates and participant roles across four phases to trace framing change. Results show ontological drift from a bounded, rule-based tool to a socially situated partner linked to autonomy, alignment, and collaboration. The frame also expands as normative roles become constitutive, highlighting safety and governance concerns and the ethical risks of partner-oriented framings in human–machine ecosystems.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Technical historiography: The agent as an engineering artifact
    • 2.2Terminological studies: Static definitions vs. dynamic usage
  • 3.Theoretical framework
    • 3.1Environmental event frames
    • 3.2“AI Agent” as an entity concept evoking an event frame
    • 3.3Multidimensionality, context and recontextualization
  • 4.Research design
    • 4.1Corpus compilation
    • 4.2Operationalizing the environmental event frame
      • Layer 1: Core triad (minimal event scaffold)
      • Layer 2: Extended roles (contextual parameters)
    • 4.3Computational implementation of the frame model
    • 4.4Network analysis and visualization
  • 5.Results and analysis
    • 5.1The perception–action paradigm and the emergence of Agency (1970–2000)
      • (1)Frame variant 1: send–path
      • (2)Frame variant 2: modify–control
      • (3)Frame variant 3: orient–interaction
    • 5.2Formalization and diversification: The BDI era and social embedding (2001–2010)
      • (1)Frame variant: create–game
      • (2)Frame Variant 2: play–user
      • (3)Frame variant 3: provide–agents
    • 5.3Technology and application integration: The rise of LLMs and modular cognition (2011–2020)
      • (1)Frame variant 1:design–task
      • (2)Frame variant 2: develop–user
      • (3)Frame variant 3: understand–enterprise
    • 5.4Ethical and autonomous deepening: Semantic closure and alignment (2021–Present)
      • (1)Frame variant 1: provide–application
      • (2)Frame variant 2: learn–capability
      • (3)Frame variant 3: base–process
  • 6.Discussion and implications
    • 6.1Ontological drift and the activation of a “social” dimension
    • 6.2Frame expansion and the responsibility displacement
    • 6.3Pragmatic drivers and dynamic frame management
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
References (50)
References
Aha, David, and Alexandra Coman. 2017. ‘The AI Rebellion: Changing the Narrative’. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence 31 (1). Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Asadzadeh, Leila, and Kamran Zamanifar. 2010. ‘An Agent-Based Parallel Approach for the Job Shop Scheduling Problem with Genetic Algorithms’. Mathematical and Computer Modelling, The BIC-TA 2009 Special Issue, vol. 52 (11): 1957–65. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barsalou, Lawrence. 2003. ‘Situated Simulation in the Human Conceptual System’. Language and Cognitive Processes 18 (5–6): 513–62. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bobulescu, Roxana. 2015. ‘From Lotka’s Biophysics to Georgescu-Roegen’s Bioeconomics’. Ecological Economics 1201: 194–202. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bouchefra, Kamel, Roger Reynaud, and Thierry Maurin. 1994. ‘Vehicles and MultiAgents Systems’. International Conference on Concurrent Engineering and Electronic Design Automation (2nd: 1994, Bournemouth, England). Proceedings. [URL]
Brown, Tom B., Benjamin Mann, Nick Ryder, et al. 2020. ‘Language Models Are Few-Shot Learners’. Proceedings of the 34th International Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (Red Hook, NY, USA), NIPS ’20, December 6, 1877–901. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Coeckelbergh, Mark. 2020. AI Ethics. The MIT Press Essential Knowledge Series. The MIT Press. [URL].
Colburn, T. R., and G. M. Shute. 2008. ‘Metaphor in Computer Science’. Journal of Applied Logic 6 (4): 526–33. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Condamines, Anne, and Aurélie Picton. 2022. ‘Textual Terminology: Origins, Principles and New Challenges’. In Terminology and Lexicography Research and Practice, edited by Pamela Faber and Marie-Claude L’Homme, vol. 231. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Das, S. K., J. Fox, D. Elsdon, and P. Hammond. 1997. ‘A Flexible Architecture for Autonomous Agents’. Journal of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence 9 (4): 407–40. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Davies, N. P., Q. H. Mehdi, and N. Gough. 2005. ‘Creating and Visualising an Intelligent NPC Using Game Engines and AI Tools’. MODELLING AND SIMULATION. EUROPEAN CONFERENCE. 19TH 2005. (ECMS 2005), 721–26.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dennett, Daniel C. 1987. The Intentional Stance. Bradford Books. MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Durgaprasad, K. V. V. B., Hassan Khalid Abozibid, Jawdat Nasri Hawas, Pusala Bhuvan Sai Krishna, Kanumuri Bhavya Sri, and Gali Pranay Reddy. 2024. ‘AI Agents and Conversation System’. 2024 International Conference on Augmented Reality, Intelligent Systems, and Industrial Automation (ARIIA), December 20, 1–7. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Elish, Madeleine Clare. 2019. ‘Moral Crumple Zones: Cautionary Tales in Human-Robot Interaction’. Engaging Science, Technology, and Society 51: 40–60. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Faber, Pamela. 2009. ‘The Cognitive Shift in Terminology and Specialized Translation’. MonTi: Monografías de Traducción e Interpretación, no. 1: 107–34. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2015. ‘Frames as a Framework for Terminology’. In Handbook of Terminology, edited by Hendrik J. Kockaert and Frieda Steurs. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Faber, Pamela, and Pilar León-Araúz. 2014. ‘Specialized Knowledge Dynamics: From Cognition to Culture-Bound Terminology’. In Terminology and Lexicography Research and Practice, edited by Rita Temmerman and Marc Van Campenhoudt, vol. 161. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
. 2016. ‘Specialized Knowledge Representation and the Parameterization of Context’. Frontiers in Psychology 71: 196. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Faber, Pamela, Carlos Francisco Márquez Linares, and Miguel Vega Expósito. 2005. ‘Framing Terminology: A Process-Oriented Approach’. Meta: Translators’ Journal 50 (4). Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Faber, Pamela, Silvia Montero Martínez, María Rosa Castro Prieto, et al. 2006. ‘Process-Oriented Terminology Management in the Domain of Coastal Engineering’. Terminology. International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Issues in Specialized Communication 12 (2): 189–213. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Faber, Pamla, Pilar. León-Arauz, J. A. Prieto Velasco, and A. Reimerink. 2006. ‘Linking Images and Words: The Description of Specialized Concepts’. International Journal of Lexicography 20 (1): 39–65. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fillmore, Charles J. 1982. ‘Frame Semantics’. In Linguistics in the Morning Calm: Selected Papers from SICOL-1981, edited by The Linguistic Society of Korea. Hanshin Publishing Company.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Franklin, Stan, and Art Graesser. 1996. ‘Is It an Agent, or Just a Program?: A Taxonomy for Autonomous Agents’. In Intelligent Agents III: Agent Theories, Architectures, and Languages (ATAL 1996), edited by Jörg P. Müller, Michael J. Wooldridge, and Nicholas R. Jennings, vol. 11931. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Garber-Barron, Michael, and Mei Si. 2012. ‘Towards Interest And Engagement, A Framework For Adaptive Storytelling’. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment 8 (2): 63–68. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gil Berrozpe and Juan Carlos. 2023. Description, Categorization, and Representation of Hyponymy in Environmental Terminology. [URL]
Hayes-Roth, Barbara. 1993. ‘Intelligent Control’. Artificial Intelligence 59 (1–2): 213–20. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Hong, Sirui, Mingchen Zhuge, Jonathan Chen, et al. 2024. ‘MetaGPT: Meta Programming for A Multi-Agent Collaborative Framework’. International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR). [URL]
Kageura, Kyo. 2002. The Dynamics of Terminology: A Descriptive Theory of Term Formation and Terminological Growth. Vol. 5. Terminology and Lexicography Research and Practice. John Benjamins Publishing Company. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Karakama, Sotaro, Natsuki Matsunami, and Masayuki Ito. 2021. ‘Task Decomposition and Role Sharing for Real-Time Human-AI Swarm Collaboration’. International Journal of Smart Computing and Artificial Intelligence 5 (1): 33–50. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Krawiec, Magdalena. 2022. Conceptual Metaphors as an Organisational Framework of the Specialist Language of IT: An Analysis of Cloud Computing Terminology. V&R Unipress. [URL].
Krishnan, Naveen. 2025. ‘AI Agents: Evolution, Architecture, and Real-World Applications’. Version 1. Preprint, arXiv. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lazar, Seth. 2024. ‘Frontier AI Ethics: Anticipating and Evaluating the Societal Impacts of Generative Agents’. arXiv E-Prints, arXiv-2404.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
León Araúz, Pilar. 2009. ‘Representación multidimensional del conocimiento especializado: El uso de marcos desde la macroestructura hasta la microestructura’. In Representación multidimensional del conocimiento especializado: El uso de marcos desde la macroestructura hasta la microestructura. [URL], Universidad de Granada. [URL]
León-Araúz, Pilar, Pamela Faber, and Silvia Montero-Martínez. 2012. ‘Specialized Language Semantics’. In A Cognitive Linguistics View of Terminology and Specialized Language, edited by Pamela Faber. De Gruyter Mouton. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martín, Antonio San, and P. L. Araúz. 2013. ‘Flexible Terminological Definitions and Conceptual Frames’. 1–7. [URL]
Nivre, Joakim, Marie-Catherine de Marneffe, Filip Ginter, et al. 2016. ‘Universal Dependencies v1: A Multilingual Treebank Collection’. In Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC’16), edited by Nicoletta Calzolari, Khalid Choukri, Thierry Declerck, et al. European Language Resources Association (ELRA). [URL].
Russell, Stuart J., Peter Norvig, and Ernest Davis. 2010. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. 3rd ed. Prentice Hall Series in Artificial Intelligence. Prentice Hall.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schut, Martijn, Michael Wooldridge, and Simon Parsons. 2004. ‘The Theory and Practice of Intention Reconsideration’. Journal of Experimental & Theoretical Artificial Intelligence 16 (4): 261–93. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Soltanzadeh, Sadjad. 2025. ‘A Metaphysical Account of Agency for Technology Governance’. AI & SOCIETY 40 (3): 1723–34. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Suchman, Lucy A. 2007. Human-Machine Reconfigurations: Plans and Situated Actions. 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sutton, Richard S., and Andrew G. Barto. 2018. Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction. 2nd edn. MIT Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Turkle, Sherry. 2011. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Basic Books.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vezzani, Federica, and Rute Costa. 2024. ‘Variation in Psychopathological Terminology: A Case Study on Body Dysmorphic Disorder’. Terminology. International Journal of Theoretical and Applied Issues in Specialized Communication 30 (1): 81–106. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wang, Lei, Chen Ma, Xueyang Feng, et al. 2024. ‘A Survey on Large Language Model Based Autonomous Agents’. Frontiers of Computer Science 18 (6): 186345. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wooldridge, Michael, and Nicholas R. Jennings. 1995. ‘Intelligent Agents: Theory and Practice’. The Knowledge Engineering Review 10 (2): 115–52. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Xi, Zhiheng, Wenxiang Chen, Xin Guo, and others. 2025. ‘The Rise and Potential of Large Language Model Based Agents: A Survey’. Science China Information Sciences 68 (2): 121101. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zambonelli, Franco, Nicholas R. Jennings, and Michael Wooldridge. 2003. ‘Developing Multiagent Systems: The Gaia Methodology’. ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology (TOSEM) 12 (3): 317–70. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhang, Li. 2010. ‘Affect Interpretation from Dramatic Improvisation Using Character and Contextual Profiles’. Journal of Computational Linguistics Research 1 (September).Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zou, Henry Peng, Wei-Chieh Huang, Yaozu Wu, et al. 2026. ‘LLM-Based Human-Agent Collaboration and Interaction Systems: A Survey’. In Findings of the Association for Computational Linguistics: ACL 2026, edited by Maria Liakata, Viviane P. Moreira, Jiajun Zhang, and David Jurgens. Association for Computational Linguistics. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue