AI Literacy / Glossary

AI agent

An AI agent is an AI system that does not just answer but takes actions for you, such as searching the web, filling in forms, sending emails or booking things, often in several steps on its own.

A chatbot gives you text and you decide what to do. An agent is connected to tools and accounts, makes a plan and carries out steps itself, for example comparing prices and then placing an order.

That makes agents handy but also riskier: a mistake becomes an action, not just a wrong sentence. Agents can also be tricked by hidden instructions on web pages or in documents they read.

Give an agent only the access it really needs, ask it to confirm before payments, sending messages or deleting anything, and check what it did. You stay responsible for the actions taken in your name.