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What is an Agent?

While conventional software enables users to streamline and automate workflows, agents perform those workflows on the user's behalf with a high degree of independence.

Agents are systems that independently accomplish tasks on your behalf.

Workflows

A workflow is a sequence of steps to meet a user's goal:

  • Resolving a customer service issue
  • Booking a reservation
  • Committing a code change
  • Generating a report

Applications that use LLMs but don't use them to control workflow execution are not agents. Simple chatbots, single-turn LLMs, and sentiment classifiers are not agents.

Core Characteristics

An agent has two core characteristics:

1. Controls Workflow Execution

The agent uses an LLM to manage workflow execution and make decisions:

  • Recognizes when a workflow is complete
  • Proactively corrects its actions if needed
  • Halts execution and transfers control back to the user on failure

2. Uses Tools Within Guardrails

The agent accesses tools to interact with external systems:

  • Gather context - Query databases, read documents, search the web
  • Take actions - Send messages, update records, trigger processes

The agent dynamically selects appropriate tools based on the workflow's current state, always operating within defined guardrails.

Agent vs Non-Agent

System Agent? Why
Customer service bot that routes tickets Yes Controls the routing workflow
Chatbot that answers FAQs No Single-turn responses, no workflow
Code assistant that commits changes Yes Executes multi-step workflow
Sentiment classifier No Single prediction, no decisions
Research assistant that gathers and summarizes Yes Multi-step with tool use

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