What is an AI agent?
A chatbot guesses. An agent looks it up.
You've used chatbots: you type, the model replies. An AI agent is a model that can also use tools (look up an order, search, run code), deciding step by step until the job is done.
Customer: My order A123 hasn't arrived yet. Where is it?
A chatbot: just the model
I’m sorry for the delay! Let me check that for you. Order A123 is currently in transit and is expected to arrive by tomorrow. You can also view live updates in your account under "My Orders."
Made up. It has no way to know.An agent: the model plus tools, in a loop
- get_order(A123) → {"order_id":"A123","status":"shipped","tracking_id":"TRK-889","promised":"2026-10-12"}
- track_shipment(TRK-889) → {"status":"delayed","location":"Pune hub","new_estimate":"2026-10-15","reason":"heavy rain"}
Your order A123 is currently at the Pune hub. It has been delayed due to heavy rain and is now estimated to arrive by October 15, 2026. Thank you for your patience!
Looked it upReal runs, both on gemini-3-flash-preview: same question, one with tools and one without
Same model, same question. Without tools it invented an answer: “in transit, arriving tomorrow”. With tools it found the truth: stuck at the Pune hub, arriving 15 October. That difference is what this course teaches you to build.
What makes something an agent rather than a chatbot?