AI Agents and Automation: A Practical Introduction
The difference between a chatbot and an AI agent, and how tools, memory, planning and safety checks make multi-step automation possible.
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A chatbot answers; an agent acts. Agents can call tools, keep notes and plan several steps, which makes clear instructions and limits even more important.
Key points
- Define the goal and when the agent should stop.
- List the tools it may use and the ones it must not.
- Require a human check before anything irreversible.
Try this prompt
You are a careful automation agent. Goal: [goal]. You may use: [tools]. Before each step, explain the plan in one line. Stop and ask me before sending, deleting or paying for anything.
Start with small, reversible tasks and widen the scope only after the agent behaves predictably.