用智能体辅助因果发现,但不代做因果判断。
Causal Discovery in the Era of Agents

- 智能体负责数据检查与解释,不参与因果推断
- 确保因果结论基于数据和算法,而非模型幻觉
- 适合需严谨因果分析的研究者与领域专家
将大语言模型(LLMs)与因果发现结合的研究尝试让模型推断变量间方向、提出图结构或注入文本输出作为先验和约束。这类方法虽能加速分析,却模糊了因果证据是来自数据和假设,还是来自文本关联、提示陷阱和幻觉机制。我们主张智能体在因果发现中应扮演辅助角色:检查数据、检索上下文、解释方法假设、澄清图输出,但不应提供边、方向、先验、约束或因果结论。我们提出原则:智能体协助流程,而因果主张必须根植于数据、明确假设、正式算法、诊断结果及用户或领域专家决策。我们实现该原则为 causal-learn+ 平台,整合数据处理、预处理、方法推荐、专家知识引入、正式发现与解释,依托 causal-learn 算法生态。以五大性格特质数据为例的案例研究,展示无模型幻觉干扰的智能体辅助因果发现流程。平台已上线:causallearn.com。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Recent attempts to combine large language models (LLMs) with causal discovery ask models to infer pairwise directions, propose graph structures, or inject language-model outputs as priors and constraints. These approaches promise faster analysis, but they also obscure whether a causal evidence is supported by data and assumptions or by textual associations, prompt artifacts and hallucinated mechanisms. We argue for a different role for agents in causal discovery. Agents should inspect data, retrieve context, explain method assumptions and clarify graph outputs, but they should not supply edges, orientations, priors, constraints or causal conclusions. We propose the principle that agents assist the workflow, while causal claims remain grounded in data, explicit assumptions, formal algorithms, diagnostics and user or domain-expert decisions. We instantiate this principle in causal-learn+, an online platform that coordinates data analysis, preprocessing, method recommendation, expert-knowledge incorporation, formal discovery and interpretation around the algorithmic ecosystem of causal-learn. A case study on Big Five personality data illustrates agent-assisted pipeline of causal discovery without turning language-model unreliability into causal evidence. The platform is available at causallearn.com.
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