What Are AI Agents? How They Work and How to Use One
An AI agent is software that uses an AI model and tools to complete a task. It chooses what to do next based on your instructions and the results of earlier steps. With the right tools and your permission, it can read files, search the web, or run calculations.
For example, you could give an agent several project documents and ask for a meeting brief. It could pull together recent decisions, list unfinished work, and link each point to the original notes.
How Do AI Agents Work?
An AI agent uses an AI model to choose its next step and tools to carry it out. After each step, it reads the result and decides whether to continue, ask for help, or return an answer.
Your request → choose a step → use a tool → read the result → continue or finish
For example, here is how an agent could prepare a meeting brief:
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Read your instructions. Identify what the brief should cover and which documents to use.
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Open the files. Use a file-reading tool to retrieve the project notes.
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Respond to what it finds. Flag conflicting launch dates or ask for another file format if a document cannot be opened.
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Prepare the brief. Summarize decisions and unfinished work, cite the source documents, and list unanswered questions.
The agent may repeat steps before finishing. If a file fails to open, for example, it may need your help before it can prepare the brief. Its available tools and permissions limit what it can do.
AI Agents vs. Chatbots: What’s the Difference?
The main difference is how much of a task the software can carry forward without another instruction from you. A chatbot typically answers your questions or creates content you request. An agent can also choose and carry out follow-up steps.
For example, you might ask for a comparison of three suppliers. A chatbot could compare the proposals you upload. An agent with access to the suppliers’ websites could also look up missing delivery details, then use what it finds to complete the comparison.
These capabilities often overlap within the same app. Reading files or searching the web alone does not distinguish an agent. The key is whether it can decide which steps are needed and take them within the access you allow.
What Can You Use AI Agents For?
AI agents can help with tasks that involve reading information, comparing details, and taking follow-up steps. What they can complete depends on the tools and access available.
| Task | What you provide | What the agent can do |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare a meeting brief | An agenda, project notes, and recent updates | Gather decisions, list unfinished work, and flag conflicting dates |
| Summarize customer feedback | Customer comments and topics to track | Group comments by issue, count them, and include supporting quotes |
| Compare supplier proposals | Proposals and priorities such as price or delivery time | Compare offers, identify missing costs, and draft follow-up questions |
| Draft customer replies | Customer messages and support policies | Find the relevant policy and prepare a reply for review |
Start with a small task whose results you can check against the original files. The walkthrough below uses a few project notes to prepare a meeting brief.
How to Use an AI Agent
Start with a small task you can check against the original files. In this exercise, you’ll turn three short project documents into a meeting brief.
The notes and example results below are fictional. File-upload controls and agent settings vary by app.
1. Prepare Your Tool and Files
Use an app that supports agent tasks and can read your file format. Enable file access if required.
Create three documents using these notes:
| File | Contents |
|---|---|
| Monday project notes | Launch planned for Friday. Maya is preparing the help page. Payment testing is unfinished. |
| Wednesday update | Friday’s launch is on hold because payment testing failed. The help page is complete. A new launch date has not been agreed. |
| Payment test report | Card payments fail during checkout. The report does not name an owner or give a retest date. |
Keep the filenames so you can trace points in the brief back to their sources. For this task, uploaded files are enough; no other app connections are needed.
2. Describe the Brief You Want
Upload the documents and enter:
Prepare a brief for Thursday’s project meeting using only the attached documents.
Organize it into decisions needed, open tasks, and completed work. Cite the filename supporting each point.
Distinguish current plans from earlier ones. Flag missing information and any disagreements the documents do not resolve. Do not invent owners, dates, or decisions.
Keep the brief under 300 words. Return a draft for review.
Start the task. If the agent cannot read a file, upload a supported format. If it asks for details you do not have, ask it to list them as questions for the meeting.
3. Check the Draft Against the Notes
Read the brief alongside the documents. It should reflect these facts:
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Launch date: Friday’s launch is on hold, and no new date has been agreed.
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Payment issue: Card payments fail during checkout. The documents give no owner or retest date.
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Completed work: The help page is finished.
Follow the source references to confirm that they support each statement. Watch for added assumptions: Maya’s work on the help page does not mean she is responsible for the payment issue.
4. Correct Errors Before Sharing
If the brief still lists Friday as the launch date, give a specific correction:
Wednesday’s update says Friday’s launch is on hold. Correct the launch status, state that no new date has been agreed, and cite that file.
Read the revised section to confirm the change. If the original brief is accurate and easy to use, you can keep it as it is.
Save the instructions for the next meeting, replace the documents, and review each new brief before sharing it.