Lesson 371 of 1455
What Makes an AI an Agent, Part 1
An AI agent is AI that takes ACTIONS, not just answers questions.
Builders · Agentic AI · ~24 min read
What Makes an AI an Agent
An AI agent is AI that takes ACTIONS, not just answers questions. The difference between ChatGPT and an agent is that an agent can DO things in the world.
ChatGPT writes you an email draft. An agent SENDS the email, books the meeting, and adds it to your calendar.
Three things real agents do
- Take multi-step actions on their own
- Use tools (browsers, calendars, APIs)
- String actions together to reach a goal
The big idea: Agents move AI from 'answers' to 'doing things' — a much bigger shift than it sounds.
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