Causal Discovery with Foundation Models: Evidence, Assumptions, and Evaluation

This methods review examines causal discovery with foundation models. The organizing question is when foundation-model representations can support causal structure learning rather than reproduce observational association. Ten related scholarly sources are synthesized through a decision-centered framework spanning problem definition, mechanism, measurement, evaluation, implementation, and governance. The review does not invent experiments, pooled estimates, or unreported quantitative results. It instead evaluates the strength and transferability of the available evidence, with particular attention to using fluent causal explanations as substitutes for identifiability assumptions. The resulting framework links technical or empirical performance to explicit use conditions and identifies tests that should precede wider adoption in scientific discovery and decision support.

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