RESEARCH BRIEFINGS16 September 2026Scientific knowledge is mostly stored in static papers. An automated framework called Paper2Agent can now transform each paper into an active artificial intelligence agent — a virtual corresponding author that answers questions, applies the paper’s methods to new data, and collaborates with other paper agents. This makes research easier to reproduce, reuse and extend.Save articleView saved researchThis is a summary of: Miao, J. et al. Reimagining research papers as interactive and reliable AI agents. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-11044-y (2026).Access options Access through your institutionAccess Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journalsGet Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription27,99 € / 30 dayscancel any timeLearn moreSubscribe to this journalReceive 52 print issues and online access199,00 € per yearonly 3,83 € per issueLearn moreRent or buy this articlePrices vary by article typefrom$1.95to$39.95Learn morePrices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutdoi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-02880-z‘Expert opinion’ is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence and Figure 1 is published under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.ReferencesAnthropic. https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol (2024).Avsec, Ž. et al. Nature 649, 1206–1218 (2026).Article PubMed Google Scholar Zhu, R. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.64898/2025.12.23.696273 (2025).Ho, C.-H. et al. Nature Genet. 57, 2536–2545 (2025).Article PubMed Google Scholar Download references Read the paper: Reimagining research papers as interactive and reliable AI agents AI systems devise hypotheses and ways to test them AI tools boost individual scientists but could limit research as a wholeSubjectsComputational biology and bioinformaticsMachine learningLatest on:Computational biology and bioinformaticsMachine learningJobs PhD Candidate (m/f/d)This position is part of the Leibniz Science Campus “Cardio-Oncology Campus for Precision Medicine”.Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen (DE)Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften – ISAS – e.V.Tenure-Track or Tenured facultyThe SoQ invites highly qualified faculty member in quantum sciences & technology and related fields.Beijing (CN)School of Quantum at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS)