What is an AI agent used for?#
Agents automate these multi-step workflows by acting as a digital team member that can independently use your company's software to complete the objective. This frees up your employees from tedious coordination and allows them to focus on high-value strategic work.
How does an AI agent work?#
An agent is given a high-level goal, such as "Find the top three catering vendors in Austin for our upcoming event and get quotes." The agent first breaks down the goal into a logical sequence of steps: search the web for caterers, visit their websites to check for event services, find contact information, draft an email requesting a quote, and send it to each vendor.
The agent then executes this plan step-by-step, using tools like a web browser and an email application. Crucially, it can observe the results of its actions (e.g., one website has a contact form instead of an email address) and adjust its plan accordingly without human intervention until the final goal is accomplished.
How far that autonomy extends is a decision, not a property of the agent. The delegation boundary sets what it may do without asking, when it must stop, and who is asked — per class of work rather than once per agent. Where agents work alongside people permanently, the arrangement is a hybrid team: stable human accountability with machine capacity that changes shape as the work does.
How is an AI agent different from a chatbot?#
An AI Agent is an independent problem-solver that can plan and act. In contrast, a chatbot is designed for conversation and responds to one prompt at a time; it cannot create and execute a multi-step plan on its own. Similarly, traditional automation software can only follow a rigid, pre-programmed set of instructions and cannot adapt if it encounters an unexpected obstacle.