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Article . 2025 . Peer-reviewed
License: CC BY
Data sources: Crossref
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Article . 2025
Data sources: DBLP
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From Subsumption to Semantic Mediation: A Generative Orchestration Architecture for Autonomous Systems

Authors: Andrei Kojukhov; Ilya Levin; Arkady Bovshover;

From Subsumption to Semantic Mediation: A Generative Orchestration Architecture for Autonomous Systems

Abstract

This paper extends Rodney Brooks’ subsumption architecture into the era of Agentic AI by replacing its priority arbiter with a Generative Orchestrator that performs semantic mediation—interpreting heterogeneous agent outputs and integrating them into a coherent action rather than merely arbitrating among them. Brooks’ original model (1986) demonstrated that autonomous behavior can emerge from parallel reactive layers without symbolic representation, establishing principles later recognized as foundational to agentic systems: environmental responsiveness, autonomy, and goal-directed action. Contemporary Agentic AI, however, requires capabilities beyond mechanical response—decision-making, adaptive strategy, and goal pursuit. We therefore reinterpret subsumption layers as four interacting agent types: reflex, model-based, goal-based, and utility-based, coordinated through semantic mediation. The Generative Orchestrator employs large language models not for content generation but for decision synthesis, enabling integrative agentic behavior. This approach merges real-time responsiveness with interpretive capacity for learning, reasoning, and explanation. An autonomous driving case study demonstrates how the architecture sustains behavioral autonomy while generating human-interpretable rationales for its actions. Validation was conducted through a Python-based proof-of-concept on an NVIDIA platform, reproducing the scenario to evaluate and confirm the architecture. This framework delineates a practical pathway toward advancing autonomous agents from reactive control to fully Agentic AI systems capable of operating in open, uncertain environments.

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average