AI-agents
Artificial intelligence is evolving at lightning speed. You’re increasingly hearing terms like AI agents and agentic AI. But what do they actually mean? And what can you do with them?
An AI agent is a smart assistant that autonomously carries out your task.
Agentic AI is a system that takes initiative on its own and can even collaborate with other agents to achieve complex goals.
AI Agents: Smart Executors
An AI agent is a system that can independently carry out tasks. You provide a goal or assignment, and the agent decides for itself how to approach it best. Such an agent can, for example, look up information, analyze data, write texts, or organize data—without you having to guide it step by step.
Suppose you ask: “Give me an overview of the most important climate agreements.”
The AI agent finds the right sources, selects relevant information, and bundles everything into a clear summary.
So you don’t have to search or direct everything yourself: the agent takes over the task and works autonomously within the boundaries of your assignment.
Agentic AI: Digital Self-Starters
Agentic AI goes a step further. Instead of simply executing your instructions, this type of AI can also take initiative on its own. Such a system can:
- come up with its own goals,
- create a plan of action,
- decide which tasks are most important,
- call on other tools or systems when needed.
Sometimes, agentic AI even consists of a collaborative network of different AI agents. Each of these agents has its own specialty or access to specific resources.
You say: “Organize an event for students about sustainable travel.”
The coordinating agent creates a plan, assigns one agent to find suitable venues, another to design communication campaigns, and yet another to calculate the budget.
You receive the complete proposal neatly compiled, without having to figure everything out yourself.