AI Agents: Beyond Simple Chatbots

AI agents take action on behalf of users. Unlike simple chatbots that only generate text, agents can call functions, access APIs, and orchestrate complex workflows.

Agent Architecture

User Request → LLM Planning → Tool Selection → Execution → Observation → Next Step

Tool Calling

Define tools the agent can use:

tools = [
    {
        "type": "function",
        "function": {
            "name": "search_database",
            "description": "Search the customer database",
            "parameters": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "query": {"type": "string"}
                }
            }
        }
    }
]

ReAct Pattern

Reasoning and Acting in a loop:

1. Thought - What should I do?
2. Action - Call a tool
3. Observation - See the result
4. Repeat - Until task complete

Guardrails

Agents need boundaries:

• Maximum iterations
• Allowed actions whitelist
• Human-in-the-loop for sensitive operations
• Output validation