Everyone is talking about AI agents. Here's what they actually are — explained for people who build businesses, not AI researchers.
An AI agent is software that can receive a task, decide how to approach it, use tools to carry it out, and report back — without a human involved at each step.
The key difference from a chatbot
A chatbot responds to what you say. An agent acts on it. When you ask an agent to 'follow up with all leads who haven't replied in 3 days', it goes and does that — not just tells you how.
Think of it as the difference between advice and execution. Chatbots give you advice. Agents execute.
Real examples in the wild
Customer support agents answering WhatsApp messages 24/7. Lead scoring agents that evaluate incoming enquiries and route them. Content agents that draft weekly reports and email them to your team.