Definition of AI Agents

An AI agent is a software program that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals. They are like virtual robots that can operate in digital or physical environments.

AI Agent vs. Intelligent Agent

An AI agent is a software system that leverages artificial intelligence, specifically large language models (LLMs), to reason, plan, and act autonomously to achieve goals. Popular examples include AutoGPT and BabyAGI, which exhibit complex problem-solving capabilities without extensive human intervention.

The term intelligent agent is broader, encompassing any entity (including humans, animals, and software systems) that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve goals.

Therefore, an AI agent is a specific type of intelligent agent, distinguished by its reliance on AI, particularly LLMs. While the concept of intelligent agents originated in philosophy, AI agents represent a practical implementation of this concept in computer science.

Figure 1.1 AI Agent vs Intelligent Agent