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Reflecting on Empirical and Sustainability Aspects of Software Engineering Research in the Era of Large Language Models

Published: October 30, 2025 | arXiv ID: 2510.26538v1

By: David Williams , Max Hort , Maria Kechagia and more

Potential Business Impact:

Improves how we test and use AI in computer programs.

Business Areas:
Software Engineering Science and Engineering, Software

Software Engineering (SE) research involving the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) has introduced several new challenges related to rigour in benchmarking, contamination, replicability, and sustainability. In this paper, we invite the research community to reflect on how these challenges are addressed in SE. Our results provide a structured overview of current LLM-based SE research at ICSE, highlighting both encouraging practices and persistent shortcomings. We conclude with recommendations to strengthen benchmarking rigour, improve replicability, and address the financial and environmental costs of LLM-based SE.

Country of Origin
🇦🇺 🇬🇧 🇬🇷 Greece, United Kingdom, Australia

Page Count
5 pages

Category
Computer Science:
Software Engineering