What Makes an AI System an Agent

This lesson defines what makes an AI system an agent rather than a simple chatbot, script, or prediction model. It introduces the core ingredients of agentic behavior: goals, perception of context, reasoning or planning, action through tools, feedback, and some degree of autonomy.

Learners will leave with a practical working definition they can use throughout the course: an AI agent is a system that uses an AI model to pursue a goal by deciding what steps to take, using available capabilities, observing results, and adapting its next action within defined boundaries.