AI agent systems are now being built on top of large language models, and they can conduct autonomous analyses. Choosing among the offerings takes a balance of curiosity, excitement and skepticism. Enjoying our latest content? Log in or create an account to continue Access the most recent journalism from Nature's award-winning team Explore the latest features & opinion covering groundbreaking research or References Nat. Mater. 25, 161 (2026). Nat. Methods 23, 271 (2026). Gao, S. et al.