Best AI agent for research and science
Which agents people actually use for research and science, counted from 15 real use cases, with the top examples for each.
Going by documented use cases, not a lab test: of the 15 research & science use cases on agentsetups, Claude appears in 9, Grok Bot appears in 4, Codex appears in 3.
Most-discussed: Find an exoplanet candidate in NASA TESS data by /u/This_Cell_1829 (Claude, Codex).
Quick start (from Find an exoplanet candidate in NASA TESS data by /u/This_Cell_1829):
- Use the agent to download and parse the TESS data, write the search code and fit transits.
- Check nearby stars, look for secondary eclipses and other false positives, plot, and rerun failed tests.
- You choose the questions, which tests matter and what counts as pass/fail.
+3 more steps in the copyable prompt.
Counts reflect what people post about, not quality or market share.
Last updated · based on 336 use cases on agentsetups, each credited to its author.
Agents by use cases
| Agent | Use cases |
|---|---|
| Claude | 9 |
| Grok Bot | 4 |
| Codex | 3 |
| Hermes Agent | 1 |
| Perplexity Computer | 1 |
Claude for research & science 9
- Find an exoplanet candidate in NASA TESS data
Claude Code ran 74 analyses and 1,000+ scripts; hidden-year transit predictions matched 3/3; Codex reviewed.
Claude, Codex · Research & science · by /u/This_Cell_1829 (Reddit, 7 Oct 2026) · source
- Run agent teams on materials-science discovery
Opus 5.5 agents ran DFT simulations (PBE+U, HSE06) and found two room-temperature magnetic semiconductor candidates.
Claude · Research & science · by Vals AI (blog, 5 Oct 2026) · source
- Find unknown sources in a historical archive
A historian embedded the VOC archive, used semantic search plus Opus 5.5 ranking, and found a 1615 dodo hunting report.
Claude · Research & science · by Benjamin Breen (blog, 1 Oct 2026) · source
Grok Bot for research & science 4
- Ask Grok Bot to build your X follow list
@FundamentEdge asked Grok Bot for 50 accounts to follow to keep up with AI, each with a one-line reason.
Grok Bot · Research & science · by Brett Caughran (X post, 11 Oct 2026) · source
- Have Grok Bot fact-check your X posts every night
@DrPhiltill’s nightly Grok Bot fact-check of all his X discussions caught one highly valuable correction so far.
Grok Bot · Research & science · by Phil Metzger (X post, 19 Sep 2026) · source
- Audit what YouTube creators actually build
GrokBot pulled the top 100 “building AI agents” videos and categorised what was really built.
Grok Bot · Research & science · by Topher Stephenson | CRE AI, Ops, Marketing (X post, 14 Sep 2026) · source
Codex for research & science 3
- Find an exoplanet candidate in NASA TESS data
Claude Code ran 74 analyses and 1,000+ scripts; hidden-year transit predictions matched 3/3; Codex reviewed.
Claude, Codex · Research & science · by /u/This_Cell_1829 (Reddit, 7 Oct 2026) · source
- Find where a photo was taken, showing the work
geo-sleuth uses OpenStreetMap geometry, elevation skylines, satellite imagery and street view.
Claude, Codex · Research & science · by Oldcircle (GitHub, 18 Sep 2026) · source
- Trace historical texts across languages
Historian Benjamin Breen used GPT-6 Astra and Opus 5.5 on “tractable” history problems, e.g. identifying a Newton source.
Claude, Codex · Research & science · by Benjamin Breen (blog, 24 Sep 2026) · source
Hermes Agent for research & science 1
- Set up a sourced daily brief in Hermes Agent
A paste-in prompt: Hermes asks for 3–5 topics and a time, shows a sample brief with a link per line, then schedules a cron job.
Hermes Agent · Research & science · by witcheer (X post, 18 Sep 2026) · source
Perplexity Computer for research & science 1
- Get a weekly what-changed report with Perplexity Computer
@JulianGoldieSEO sets Computer Automations to track a topic weekly and report only what changed, and charts raw numbers.
Perplexity Computer · Research & science · by Julian Goldie SEO (X post, 4 Oct 2026) · source
Questions people ask
What is the best AI agent for research and science?
There is no single winner in the data. Of 15 research & science use cases on agentsetups, Claude (9), Grok Bot (4), Codex (3), Hermes Agent (1). Pick the one whose examples look most like your task.
Which AI agents do people use for research and science?
From the sources: Claude (9), Grok Bot (4), Codex (3), Hermes Agent (1), Perplexity Computer (1).
How do I set up an AI agent for research and science?
Copy a setup that already worked. Find an exoplanet candidate in NASA TESS data by /u/This_Cell_1829 (Claude, Codex): 1) Use the agent to download and parse the TESS data, write the search code and fit transits. 2) Check nearby stars, look for secondary eclipses and other false positives, plot, and rerun failed tests. 3) You choose the questions, which tests matter and what counts as pass/fail. The use-case page has the full prompt.
Claude vs Codex for research and science?
Claude has 9 and Codex has 3 research & science use cases here. Compare them side by side.