Vibe Researching as Wolf Coming: Can AI Agents with Skills Replace or Augment Social Scientists?

A research paper introduces the concept of 'vibe researching' where AI agents can autonomously execute entire research pipelines from idea to submission using specialized skills. The study analyzes how AI agents excel at speed and methodological tasks but struggle with theoretical originality and tacit knowledge, creating a cognitive rather than sequential delegation boundary in research workflows.

• →AI agents represent a qualitative shift from chatbots by executing multi-step research workflows with persistent state and tool access.
• →The delegation boundary between humans and AI is cognitive, cutting through every research stage rather than between stages.
• →AI agents excel at speed, coverage, and methodological scaffolding but lack theoretical originality and tacit field knowledge.
• →The research identifies three professional implications: augmentation with fragile conditions, stratification risk, and pedagogical crisis.
• →Five principles for responsible 'vibe researching' are proposed to guide the integration of AI agents in academic research.