AI Agents
AI systems that can take actions autonomously. Browsing the web, running code, using tools, and completing multi-step tasks without step-by-step human guidance.
Full Definition
AI agents are AI systems that go beyond answering questions. They can take actions. While a standard chatbot waits for your input and generates text, an agent can break a task into steps, use tools (web browsers, code executors, APIs), make decisions about what to do next, and complete multi-step workflows autonomously. The simplest example: you tell a chatbot 'find me flights to Tokyo next week.' A chatbot tells you how to search. An agent actually searches flight websites, compares prices, and presents you with options. Or even books one if you've given it permission. As of early 2026, AI agents are the fastest-growing area in AI. Products like Anthropic's Claude Computer Use, OpenAI's agent features, and tools like AutoGPT and CrewAI let businesses build AI systems that handle real tasks: processing invoices, managing email inboxes, coordinating schedules, and executing multi-step business workflows. The key components of an AI agent: a language model for reasoning, tools it can use (APIs, code execution, web browsing), a planning mechanism for breaking tasks into steps, and memory for maintaining context across interactions.
Examples
A customer support agent that reads incoming tickets, looks up the customer's account, searches the help docs for relevant answers, and drafts a personalized response. All without human intervention
A research agent that takes a topic, searches multiple sources, synthesizes findings, and produces a summary report with citations
A coding agent (like Claude Code or Cursor's Composer) that takes a feature description, writes code across multiple files, runs tests, and fixes errors iteratively