What is an AI agent and how is it different from a chatbot?
An AI agent is a system that pursues a goal over several steps, deciding which actions to take, such as searching, reading files or running code. A chatbot usually answers one message at a time.
Key differences:
- Autonomy: an agent decides next steps based on results.
- Tools: it can act in the world through functions your code provides.
- Loop: it repeats until done or stopped.
This power brings risk, since mistakes can have real effects. Good agents have narrow goals, limited permissions, step and budget caps, logging and human approval for risky actions. For fixed tasks, a plain script is often better than an agent.
Related answers
Are AI-written phishing emails harder to spot, and what should I look for now?
Yes, AI can write clean, convincing phishing emails without the spelling mistakes people used to rely on, so judge the request and the sender, not the grammar.
privacy-safety
Can AI analyze my Excel or CSV data and can I trust the results?
Often yes, especially with assistants that can run code on uploaded files, but you should verify the results.
accuracy
Can an AI assistant be tricked by hidden instructions in emails or web pages?
Yes. If an assistant reads emails, web pages or documents, hidden text in them can try to give it new instructions, which is called prompt injection.
privacy-safety