An AI agent is an AI system that can plan a task and carry it out step by step without you guiding each move. Instead of only answering questions in a chat window, it uses tools such as web browsing, email, files or other software to get things done. For example, you might ask an agent to find a few local venues for a fundraiser, compare their prices and email each one to ask about dates. The agent would then do all of that by itself. This ability to act is often called tool use.
Why it matters
An agent can save real time for some jobs. It is also riskier than a chat assistant, because its mistakes and any attacks on it can turn into actions. A wrong answer in a chat is easy to ignore, but a wrong email sent to a donor is not. Watch for problems such as indirect prompt injection and excessive agency. Give any agent the least access the task needs, and require your approval before important actions like sending, paying or deleting. Before you sign up, ask the vendor two questions: what can this agent do without asking me first, and can I require approval for those actions?
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