AI Glossary · Definition
What is AI agent?
AI agent: An AI agent is software that uses an AI model to work towards a goal by planning steps and using tools, such as searching, reading files or updating systems, with limits and approvals set by people.
By DAIDU EditorialUpdated
AI agent, explained
A chatbot answers questions. An agent acts. Given a goal like 'prepare a briefing on each new lead', an agent decides what to look up, uses the tools it has been given, checks the results and produces an output. Good business agents have narrow jobs, limited permissions, logs of every action and a human approval step before anything that commits the business, such as sending a message to a customer or changing a record. Agents are best for multi-step tasks where the next step depends on what the previous one found.
Example
A sales agent researches each new inbound lead's company, drafts a tailored reply and places it in the salesperson's queue for approval.