Lesson 904 of 1234
How Good Agents Know When the Job Is Truly Done
A smart agent checks its work and knows when to say 'done!' instead of going forever.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1The big idea
- 2completion
- 3done-criteria
- 4goals
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Section 1
The big idea
How does an agent know when it's finished? Smart designers give it 'done criteria': 'Stop when you have 5 facts.' 'Stop when the email is sent.' Without these, agents might wander forever.
Some examples
- 'Stop when you have 3 good ideas.'
- 'Stop when the homework is checked.'
- 'Stop when the task is on the calendar.'
- 'Stop when you've answered all 5 questions.'
Try it!
Pick a chore (clean a desk). Define 'done': 'When the desk has nothing on it.' Stop EXACTLY when that's true.
Key terms in this lesson
End-of-lesson quiz
Check what stuck
15 questions · Score saves to your progress.
Tutor
Curious about “How Good Agents Know When the Job Is Truly Done”?
Ask anything about this lesson. I’ll answer using just what you’re reading — short, friendly, grounded.
Progress saved locally in this browser. Sign in to sync across devices.
Related lessons
Keep going
Explorers · 40 min
What Is an AI Agent? (And Why It Is Different From a Chatbot), Part 1
A chatbot answers questions. An AI agent goes off and DOES things for you. Big difference. Here is what that means.
Explorers · 6 min
Why AI Agents Are Tricky: When Doing Goes Wrong
Agents can be amazing helpers — or they can mess up in big ways because they actually take action. Here is why grown-ups are careful with them.
Explorers · 5 min
AI Agents in Video Games: They Have Been Here a Long Time
Every video game character that does stuff on its own is sort of an agent. The bad guy that chases you. The teammate that helps. They are all agents.
