AI Concepts·advanced
Agent
An AI wired up to take actions, not just produce words.
A chatbot outputs words. An agent uses tools — search the web, run code, edit files, send emails, control a browser.
The pattern: give the model a goal and a set of tools. At each step it decides — ask the user, call a tool, finish. Tool results feed back into the conversation. The model picks the next action.
Claude Code is an agent. Claude with file-editing, shell-running, and Git tools. So is a browser-automating AI that books flights for you.
Agents are powerful and risky. The same thing that makes them useful — they can act — makes them dangerous if they act wrong. Most production agents have a human in the loop for destructive actions.