What Is an AI Agent? › Key Terms

Here are the core concepts we've covered:

AI Agent: A program powered by artificial intelligence that can perceive goals, reason about how to achieve them, take actions using tools or APIs, and adapt based on results. Unlike chatbots that only respond, agents work autonomously toward objectives.

Autonomy: The ability to operate independently toward a goal without constant human guidance. In agents, this exists on a spectrum from requiring approval for each action to operating fully independently.

Perception: The agent's ability to interpret input (text, voice, data) and understand the literal words as well as the underlying intent or goal.

Reasoning: The agent's decision-making process, which involves breaking down goals into steps, choosing which tools to use, anticipating problems, and selecting the best approach.

Action: The agent's ability to affect the world beyond generating text by calling APIs, retrieving data, generating content, or making changes to systems.

Tools: External capabilities the agent can use to extend its abilities, like a calculator for math, a search engine for current information, or a calendar API for scheduling.

Chatbot: A conversational AI system that responds to user messages but doesn't take actions beyond generating text. Unlike agents, chatbots are reactive rather than proactive.