Foundation-Model Agents in Industry: Prototypes, Not Deployment

A systematic literature review on foundation-model-based agents in industrial automation reveals that most systems remain at early development stages. The study, published on arXiv, screened 2,341 publications and analyzed 88 in depth following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. It found that 75.0% of reported systems are at Technology Readiness Levels 4-6 (prototype and early validation), while only 9.1% show deployment-oriented evidence. The agents are primarily used for user assistance, monitoring, and process automation, but their functional profile differs from conventional agent systems. The research highlights persistent limitations and fragmented evidence across domains.