What is an AI agent?

An AI agent is a software system capable of:

• Understanding context

• Reasoning over information

• Selecting tools

• Performing defined actions

• Escalating when required

Agent architecture

Instructions
     ↓
AI Model
     ↓
Context + Knowledge
     ↓
Tools & Systems
     ↓
Actions
     ↓
Evaluation

Instructions
     ↓
AI Model
     ↓
Context + Knowledge
     ↓
Tools & Systems
     ↓
Actions
     ↓
Evaluation

Instructions
     ↓
AI Model
     ↓
Context + Knowledge
     ↓
Tools & Systems
     ↓
Actions
     ↓
Evaluation

Instructions
     ↓
AI Model
     ↓
Context + Knowledge
     ↓
Tools & Systems
     ↓
Actions
     ↓
Evaluation

Agents can

• Retrieve information

• Analyze documents

• Classify requests

• Update systems

• Trigger workflows

• Prepare decisions

• Escalate exceptions

Agents should not have unlimited authority

Define:

Allowed actions

What the agent can do.

Restricted actions

What requires approval.

Escalation rules

When a human must intervene.

Audit requirements

What activity must be recorded.

Suitable use cases

• Internal operations

• Customer support workflows

• Research

• Data processing

• Administrative coordination

• Multi-step business processes

Key principle

Autonomy should be designed as a controlled capability, not a binary switch.