AI Agent
Definition
An AI agent is an autonomous system that uses large language models to perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to accomplish goals without constant human guidance.
Why It Matters
AI agents represent the next evolution beyond simple chatbots. While a chatbot responds to individual queries, an agent can autonomously plan multi-step tasks, use external tools, and persist memory across sessions. This enables AI to handle complex real-world workflows like research, coding, and customer service without constant human oversight.
How It Works
An AI agent operates through a core loop: observe the current state, think about what action to take (using an LLM for reasoning), act by calling tools or APIs, and repeat until the goal is achieved. Most agents use frameworks like LangChain, LangGraph, or CrewAI to orchestrate this loop and manage tool integrations.
When to Use It
Use AI agents when tasks require multiple steps, tool usage, or autonomous decision-making. Examples include automated research assistants, coding agents that can read and modify files, and customer support systems that can access databases and take actions. For simple question-answering, a standard LLM call is more appropriate.
Source
LLM-based agents demonstrate emergent abilities to decompose complex tasks, use tools, and maintain memory across interactions.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.07864