A Practical Guide to AI Agents

AI is everywhere, and it seems to be a helper in many situations that were unimaginable just a few years ago. AI has been around with humans for decades, but in its very simple form. Then, continuous evolution and development occurred (although not always, as there was something called “AI Winter,” a period when AI development was almost globally halted). Over the last decade, the development of AI has progressed quite rapidly. Three years ago, ChatGPT emerged, followed by other GPTs, and since then, technology updates seem to be happening every week or two, giving rise to newer possibilities for AI utilization, one of which is the AI agent.

AI Agents 

AI has implications for new related terms, one of which is the AI Agent. What is it? An AI Agent is basically AI itself, but with “special abilities.” The special abilities in question are the capability to execute tasks independently without having to be guided by previous commands or prompts. However, to function properly, an AI agent must have access to the “data bank” of the system it serves. For example, AI agents for running a hospital’s digital system must have access to patient data, hospital resource availability data, certain financial ledgers, and so on—basically everything related to the hospital’s operations that it serves.

However, many people are still confused about the difference between an AI Agent and an AI Chatbot like ChatGPT. Both certainly work thanks to an AI algorithm, which is powered by energy and run by a computer processor to generate a certain output, but there is still a clear difference between the two.

First off, we need to look at the more popular one, ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a brand, and it is essentially GPT, one of many other GPTs. GPT stands for Generative Pre-trained Transformer, a large language model (LLM). An LLM is an AI model or AI algorithm that can recognize input text and predict output text with a similarity to what a human can produce (if given the same input). And it’s much faster, of course!

Since its initial emergence in the last 3 months of 2022, ChatGPT and similar GPT-GPT tools have been viewed as unimaginable magical tools because with a GPT, anyone can generate good-quality text in a very short time, just a few seconds on average. However, ChatGPT and similar AI tools must be “commanded” every time you want them to do something, whether it’s generating text, images, or video.

That’s where an AI Agent is different!

An AI Agent is indeed an AI tool, just like ChatGPT, but the two are different. An AI Agent can observe, and from that observation, it can take actions that, within certain limits, can be classified as “autonomous.” An AI Agent doesn’t have to wait for an input every time. It is designed to remain active and independent (to a certain extent). Essentially, an AI Agent can be described as a GPT that is capable of interacting with its external environment and, through that interaction, can make decisions.

AI Agents are designed to be able to interact with the external environment, so they must have sensors in addition to large amounts of data input. There are some examples of AI Agents that the average person might not realize are AI Agents, namely: driverless cars, delivery drones, and game bots. People tend to focus on AI Agents that handle office tasks such as replying to emails, responding to chats, or scheduling.

Great Potential 

Yes, the AI Agent has huge potential, but that must be supported by data (as mentioned above) and its “settings.” Although it is expected to work independently, that does not mean it can be deployed and then operate without prior configuration. The IT team operating it must tailor it to the system data and the expected output. If you are a company owner or someone tasked with choosing the right AI agent for your company, you should be aware that there are at least two types of AI agents: the first is the Personal AI Agent and the Enterprise AI Agent. The former is customized based on the data and needs of the individual it serves, and the latter is customized based on much broader data and the needs of many people (including employees, clients, and the company’s partners).

How Do You Get Started?

If you don’t have the time or resources to build and develop your agent from scratch, buying a “ready-made package” is a smart solution. We’ve researched several popular AI agent developers and can recommend Innowise as the best developer, at least as of this writing. Many companies have used AI agents development services at Innowise so far, and every single one of them has been satisfied.

At Innowise, every company can request their own AI agent, customized to their needs and expectations. Clearly, every AI agent developed by Innowise.com can benefit its clients in the following ways:

  • Automation
  • Better data management
  • 24/7/365 availability (or constant activeness)
  • High accuracy
  • Consistency
  • Better business analysis

All of these points are necessary for any company that wants to remain competitive in the dynamics of modern industry. Everything is fast-paced, everything must be accurate, and everything must be consistent. Any company that cannot compete will be left behind and only waste the resources they have.

If you are building your agent from scratch, you can start with popular programming languages, such as JavaScript and, of course, Python. However, to speed up the process, it’s highly recommended to use an AI agent framework. You can choose a framework that suits your company’s needs. A framework serves as the building blocks for organizing the AI’s workflow, its features, and its characteristics, from the general to the most detailed.

There are at least a few important points to consider before you settle on an AI agent:

  • Privacy
  • System simplicity (or complexity)
  • Integration
  • Scalability
  • Performance

AI is the future, and ignoring it will only lead to being left behind. By adapting to AI, for example by using an AI Agent to support business operations, business owners can stay competitive.