Agent (AI agent)
A system that chooses its own steps, selects its own tools, and determines its own sequence of operations to pursue a goal, as distinct from a multi-step workflow where a human designer specifies each step in advance. Both use composable primitives (chaining, routing, etc.), but in an agent the model makes the A-stage decisions; in a workflow, the human does. This distinction matters for governance: an agent without a human supervision point before irreversible actions has transferred the A-stage accountability to the model.
Defined in 2 GAGE programs, which carry 5 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in AI Literacy & Professional Conduct.
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
A system that chooses its own steps, selects its own tools, and determines its own sequence of operations to pursue a goal, as distinct from a multi-step workflow where a human designer specifies each step in advance. Both use composable primitives (chaining, routing, etc.), but in an agent the model makes the A-stage decisions; in a workflow, the human does. This distinction matters for governance: an agent without a human supervision point before irreversible actions has transferred the A-stage accountability to the model.
An AI (artificial intelligence) system that takes actions in the world or produces outputs to a user or another system, not only one that answers questions. Every agent an organization runs is in the scope of the agent governance policy.
A system given a goal that pursues it by taking multiple self-directed actions, using tools, without per-step human approval, until the goal is met or a stopping point is reached. The builders converge on this core: a goal, self-directed steps, tool use, and action taken without approving each step (Anthropic, OpenAI, IBM, Google, 2024 to 2026).
A system that pursues a goal by planning and taking actions across multiple steps, calling tools and using results to decide what to do next, rather than only responding to a single prompt. The full definition and its boundaries are owned by Topic 9.1 (see Topic 9.1).
An AI system that takes actions in the world (sends, updates, buys, deletes, calls tools), not just one that answers questions. Its outputs change a state it then reads back, which is what makes runaway loops possible.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first 7 topics of every program are free with a free account.
- AI Workflow Design Fundamentals and Preventing Technical Debt · Practical AI Workflow Design and Prompt Engineering, AI Literacy & Professional Conduct
- AI Agents vs. AI Assistants: Understanding Autonomy · Agentic AI and Workforce Integration, AI Literacy & Professional Conduct
- The Year of the AI Agent: How 2026 Workplaces Are Changing · Agentic AI and Workforce Integration, AI Literacy & Professional Conduct
- The runaway afternoon: your agent misbehaves in a loop, contain it live · Agents Under Command, AI Governance: Applied Mastery
- Agent governance policy: the one-page rules for every agent your organization runs · Agents Under Command, AI Governance: Applied Mastery
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.