What is an AI agent, and how is it different from a regular chatbot?

The word “agent” keeps showing up in announcements from big tech companies. Here’s what it means.

A chatbot answers, an agent acts

A regular chatbot gets a question and writes an answer. An agent gets a task — say, “find three ticket options and compare them” — and breaks it into steps on its own: it searches, opens pages, compares, and reports back at the end.

What an agent is made of

1. A language model — the “brain” that plans and decides what to do next.
2. Tools — search, a browser, a calendar, email or code.
3. Memory — notes about what has already been done.

What to keep in mind

Agents save time, but they can make mistakes. Good services ask for confirmation before important actions such as paying, sending an email or deleting files. Always check the result, especially when money or personal data is involved.