Agent

An AI agent is a system that continues across steps toward a goal and can select or use actions, tools, or information within defined controls.

Plan for this page

Understand one concept in plain language and connect it to nearby ideas.

You will leave with: Agent-like behavior can include planning, observing results, updating state, and choosing the next step. The degree of autonomy, duration, environment, and authority varies, so the label should be replaced with a concrete account of what the system can do.
Time: 3–8 min
Before you begin: No prerequisite. Keep one real example in mind.
Do this now: Read the explanation, then compare the example with the common misunderstanding.

Prepared next stepEnter the agents path

AgentAn AI agent is a system that continues across steps toward a goal and can select or use actions, tools, or information within defined controls.

Agentic system
Tool use
State
Autonomy

Plain explanation

Agent-like behavior can include planning, observing results, updating state, and choosing the next step. The degree of autonomy, duration, environment, and authority varies, so the label should be replaced with a concrete account of what the system can do.

Example

A travel agent searches options, maintains a shortlist, asks for approval, then uses a booking tool within a spending limit.

Why it matters

Continuation and action create value but also compound errors and consequences. Goals, permissions, monitoring, approvals, stopping conditions, and recovery need explicit design.

Common misunderstanding

Misconception: any chatbot with a name is an agent. Correction: conversation style alone does not establish goal-directed continuation, state, tools, or authority.

Related concepts

Follow relationships, not only the alphabet

Agentic systemAn agentic system is the full technical and organizational arrangement that enables goal-directed continuation and action.Tool useTool use is a system’s ability to invoke an external function, service, interface, or device and incorporate the result.StateState is the information that describes a system or task at a particular point and is carried into later steps.AutonomyAutonomy is the degree of freedom a system has to choose, continue, or act without a person directing each step.

Enter the agents path

Sources and scope

What supports this object

Hugging Face Agents Course — IntroductionHugging Face

Provides a practical technical account of goals, models, tools, observations and action loops; implementations and the boundary of “agent” differ across communities.

Open source

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