Agents plan, use tools, and iterate until the goal is met.
Definition
An AI agent is a software system that can pursue a goal autonomously by planning steps, calling tools or APIs, observing results, and iterating until the objective is reached.- Reasoning: choose next actions based on goals and observations
- Tools: call external capabilities (APIs, databases, browsers)
- Memory: recall prior steps and domain knowledge
- Planning: decompose objectives into actionable tasks
Minimal agent loop
Real-world patterns
- Customer support triage and reply drafting
- Data extraction and report generation
- Operations automations (tickets, CRM updates)
Further reading
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) basics →
/learn/mcp - Build a working agent →
/learn/build-agents