An AI agent is a system that uses a model to choose and perform actions toward a goal. It can call tools, inspect results, update its plan, and continue until it finishes or reaches a limit.
A single LLM call maps one input to one output. The surrounding application decides what happens next. An agent adds a loop and gives the model some control over the next step.
That flexibility helps with tasks whose steps cannot be fixed in advance, but it adds cost, latency, and risk. Use an agent only when dynamic decisions improve the task. Keep permissions, budgets, approvals, and stopping rules in deterministic code.
This answer doesn't lend itself to a diagram - it reads best . No credits were charged.
Why there's no diagram: “”
The interactive diagram is below the answer - jump to diagram ↓ · Below it, the related concept . Jump to it ↓
The diagram below the answer is the concept . Jump to it ↓