Business guides
What is an AI agent?
An AI agent is software that uses a model to decide how to carry out a task, often by using connected tools. For example, an agent might read an approved source, assemble a weekly report, and save a draft for a person to review.
By Agentic Workers · Updated
Instructions, tools, and results
The instructions describe the goal and boundaries. Tools provide specific capabilities, such as reading a document or creating a calendar event. After a tool returns a result, the agent can decide what to do next. Its capabilities depend on the tools and permissions you provide; it does not automatically have access to every system in your business.
How this differs from a fixed workflow
A fixed workflow follows steps you define in advance. An agent can choose between steps when the input varies, such as selecting which records are relevant to a question. Use ordinary automation when the rules are stable and explicit. An agent can help when interpreting text or choosing a next step is part of the work.
What still needs human judgment
Agents can misunderstand instructions, use incomplete information, or produce an incorrect answer. Assign an owner who can evaluate the result. Use approvals for consequential actions and give the agent a clear stopping condition. A successful demonstration does not establish reliability across every input, so test examples from your actual process before expanding access.
Before you start
- Specify a concrete task and its completion condition.
- Connect only the tools needed for that task.
- Keep source information available for review.
- Test realistic inputs, including exceptions.
- Measure corrections as well as successful runs.