Origin Dictionary / OD-053
AI Agent
An AI agent needs permission before it needs a personality.
01Dictionary Meaning
An AI agent is a software system that uses AI to choose and carry out steps toward a goal, often by calling tools and responding to results.
02What People Think
"It's a chatbot that can do the whole job."
03What’s Underneath
Answering a question and changing a record are different capabilities. To act, the system needs access to tools, relevant information and a defined scope of authority.
Imagine an agent handling a refund. It needs to locate the order, apply the policy and know when an unusual case requires a person. A fluent explanation does not prove that the refund was correct.
Value comes from useful completed actions within reliable limits. More autonomy also means more consequential decisions can occur before someone reviews them.
04The Game
What may the agent decide, which actions need approval, and how will anyone know the task was completed correctly?
05One Line
An agent's real job description is written in its permissions.
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References 1
- Building effective agents
Anthropic