AI Agent

An AI agent is a type of software typically driven by generative AI (and/or advanced machine learning, in some cases) that gets a specific kind of work done, with limited human oversight.

AI agents differ from older software models (e.g. SaaS) by offering more adaptive, non-tedious workflows and minimal UX – providing the minimum of user interface needed to accept text, audio, or visual inputs. They can enrich user inputs by automatically gathering and assembling useful information from other methods, such as APIs, web scrapers, integration platforms, or even other AI agents.

Similarly, an agent’s outputs may happen partially or entirely outside of a user interface traditionally associated with a software user interface.

At the core of AI agent is its ability to make a sequence of decisions in real time using generative AI, adapting its responses based on context and goals. As such, an AI agent can be modeled on a human role (e.g. a “bookkeeper agent”). By the same token, a team of AI agents (a swarm) can emulate a collaborative team of worker roles.

A note on “feedback loops”: AI agents may be designed to improve decision-making based on user interaction with their own outputs but this is a non-essential trait that may be not cost-effective to design and build.