What is an AI agent, and how does it differ from a chatbot or a model?

Answer

An AI agent is an autonomous software system that can perceive its environment, make decisions, take actions, and pursue goals with minimal human intervention. Unlike a chatbot (which responds to prompts) or a model (which produces outputs), an agent operates continuously, chains multiple tool calls, delegates to sub-agents, and modifies external systems. This autonomy is what creates the governance gap — you can't review every action before it happens.