The key points
- A chatbot converses; an agent acts across steps.
- Agents suit repetitive multi-step work with a clear definition of done.
- They do not suit decisions needing judgement or accountability.
- Control comes from permissions, approvals and logs.
Which tasks suit an agent?
Repetitive multi-step work with a clear definition of done: researching and summarizing a list of leads, extracting fields from documents and filing them, assembling a weekly report from several systems. The common thread is that a competent person could do it from written instructions, and the instructions rarely change.
Which tasks should stay with a person?
Work needing judgement, relationships or accountability: deciding what a customer is owed, handling a complaint, choosing a supplier. For these an agent should prepare the material and stop, and the person decides.
How do you keep an agent under control?
Three things. Scoped permissions, so it can reach only what it needs. Approval gates before anything irreversible. And a complete activity log of every action, so you can audit what it did last week. You choose which steps run unattended, and rollout is supervised: the agent runs alongside your existing process until its output has earned trust.
- Permissions limited to what the task needs
- Approval before irreversible actions
- Full activity logging
- Supervised rollout beside the current process
Chatbot compared with an AI agent
| Aspect | Chatbot | AI agent |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Answer questions and capture enquiries | Complete a multi-step task |
| Uses tools | Limited, such as booking | Yes, across several systems |
| Initiative | Responds to the user | Can run on a schedule or trigger |
| Risk | Wrong answer | Wrong action, so tighter controls |
Is a task agent-ready?
- Could a new hire follow written instructions for it?
- Which steps must never happen without approval?
- What systems must it read, and what may it write to?
- How will you audit what it did?
Sources
Rules and guidance this answer relies on. Policies change, so check the current version before acting on it.