The term 'AI agent' gets overused. Every chatbot now claims to be an agent. Understanding what agents actually are helps cut through the marketing noise.

What Makes an Agent

True AI agents have four capabilities: perception (understanding context and inputs), reasoning (planning approaches to goals), action (executing steps using tools), and learning (adapting based on outcomes). A system missing any of these is not a full agent.

Agents vs Chatbots vs Copilots

Chatbots respond to prompts with text. Copilots assist humans with suggestions. Agents act autonomously toward goals. A chatbot answers questions. A copilot helps you write. An agent researches, writes, optimizes, and publishes while you do other work.

How Agents Use Tools

Agents extend their capabilities through tool use: calling APIs, searching the web, executing code, accessing databases. Tool use transforms agents from conversational AI to functional systems that can interact with the real world and other software.