All terms

Glossary

AI agent

Also: Agentic workflow

A language model that does not only answer but calls tools over several steps, judges intermediate results and continues.

The difference to a single call is the loop: plan, act, check the result, adjust. That solves tasks needing several steps and external data.

With the loop come new questions: when does it stop, what does a run cost, who is liable for an action, and how do you notice the agent going in circles.

How you notice it

  • A task needs several steps and access to real systems.
  • Intermediate results have to be judged before continuing.
  • There are actions that cannot be undone.

Frequently asked

What does an AI agent need to run in production?

A cap on steps, a budget per transaction, logging of every tool call, and human confirmation before anything that cannot be undone. Missing one of those makes it a demo, not a system.

Read moreAgentic coding with spec-driven development