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WebPilot: A Versatile and Autonomous Multi-Agent System
for Web Task Execution with Strategic Exploration

Yao Zhang1,3*†, Zijian Ma2*, Yunpu Ma1,3†, Zhen Han1, Yu Wu2, Volker Tresp1,3†
1 LMU Munich 2 Technical University of Munich 3 Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML)
*Lead contributors

Abstract

LLM-based autonomous agents often fail in executing complex web tasks that require dynamic interaction, largely due to the inherent uncertainty and complexity of these environments. Existing LLM-based web agents typically rely on rigid, expert-designed policies specific to certain states and actions, which lack the flexibility and generalizability needed to adapt to unseen tasks. In contrast, humans excel by exploring unknowns, continuously adapting strategies and actions based on new observations, and resolving ambiguities through exploration. To emulate human-like adaptability, web agents need strategic exploration and complex decision-making. Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) is well-suited for this, but classical MCTS struggles with the vast action spaces, unpredictable state transitions, and incomplete information in web tasks. In light of this, we develop WebPilot, a multi-agent system with a dual optimization strategy that improves MCTS to better handle complex web environments. Specifically, the Global Optimization phase involves generating a high-level plan by breaking down tasks into manageable subtasks, continuously refining this plan through reflective analysis of new observations and previous subtask attempts, thereby focusing the search process and mitigating the challenges posed by vast action spaces in classical MCTS. Subsequently, the Local Optimization phase executes each subtask using a tailored MCTS designed for complex environments, effectively addressing uncertainties and managing incomplete information by iteratively refining decisions based on new observations. Experimental results on WebArena and MiniWoB++ demonstrate the effectiveness of WebPilot. Notably, on WebArena, WebPilot achieves SOTA performance with GPT-4, achieving a 93% relative increasestrong> in success rate over the concurrent tree search-based method. WebPilot marks a significant advancement in general autonomous agent capabilities, paving the way for more advanced and reliable decision-making in practical environments.

BibTeX

@misc{zhang2024webpilotversatileautonomousmultiagent,
      title={WebPilot: A Versatile and Autonomous Multi-Agent System for Web Task Execution with Strategic Exploration}, 
      author={Yao Zhang and Zijian Ma and Yunpu Ma and Zhen Han and Yu Wu and Volker Tresp},
      year={2024},
      eprint={2408.15978},
      archivePrefix={arXiv},
      primaryClass={cs.AI},
      url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2408.15978}, 
}