# AI agent

> An AI agent is software that uses a large language model to work toward a goal by deciding which steps to take, calling tools such as a search, a CRM, or a calendar, and acting on the results with limited human input.

Also called: agentic AI, LLM agent, autonomous AI agent, AI assistant with tools.

A chatbot answers a question; an agent carries out a task. It receives a goal and a set of tools it is permitted to use, each described in plain language. The model chooses a tool, reads the result, and decides the next step, repeating until the task is finished or it needs help. Instructions, memory of earlier steps, and permission limits shape what it does.

Agents suit work that follows a goal but varies in detail, where fixed rules fall short: reading an incoming inquiry, looking up the customer, checking availability, and drafting a reply. For a small business that can mean after-hours inquiries are handled and routine research or data entry is done without staff time. Simple, predictable tasks are usually better served by ordinary automation.

Language models can make mistakes and state them confidently, and an agent with tools can act on those mistakes. Give it the narrowest permissions that work, require human approval before it moves money, deletes data, or sends sensitive messages to customers, and log every action. Test with real examples before launch. We build custom agents with defined tools, approval steps, and monitoring.

## Where we do this work

- [Custom AI agents](https://techpitsolutions.systems/services/custom-ai-agents)
- [AI chatbots](https://techpitsolutions.systems/services/chatbots)
- [Back Office automation](https://techpitsolutions.systems/back-office)

## See also

- [Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/rag): Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is a technique in which an AI system first searches a set of documents for passages relevant to a question, then gives those passages to a language model so the answer is based on that source material.
- [Workflow automation](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/workflow-automation): Workflow automation is the use of software to carry out a repeatable sequence of business steps, such as moving data between apps, sending notifications, or creating records, automatically whenever a defined trigger occurs.
- [AI voice agent](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/ai-voice-agent): An AI voice agent is a phone assistant that uses speech recognition, a language model, and text-to-speech to hold a spoken conversation with callers, answer questions, collect details, and take actions such as booking appointments.
- [Local LLM (self-hosted language model)](https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/local-llm): A local LLM is a large language model that runs on hardware a business controls, such as its own computer or server, instead of on an AI vendor's cloud service, so prompts and documents stay within that environment.

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Source: https://techpitsolutions.systems/glossary/ai-agent

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