看来 (kàn lái) literally means looking from this angle and functions as an inferential expression meaning it seems or it looks like. It introduces a conclusion drawn from observation or evidence. It typically appears at the start of a clause (看来我们要迟到了, it looks like we are going to be late). A similar phrase is 看起来 (kàn qǐ lái), which also means it appears but focuses more on visible appearance.