Short answer
An AI agent works in a loop: it receives a task, uses a language model to plan the next step, uses a tool (for example, searches a database or sends an e-mail), evaluates the result and continues until the task is done. The tools, permissions and limits are defined in advance.
The agent’s “brain” and “hands”
An AI agent has two main parts:
- A language model — it understands the task, plans the steps and decides what to do next.
- Tools — specific actions the agent is allowed to take: reading e-mails, searching the CRM, filling in a form, calling the accounting API, preparing a document.
An agent cannot do anything it hasn’t been given a tool for. That’s an important security principle.
The work loop
- Task — for example, “process today’s requests”.
- Plan — the model decides the first step.
- Action — the agent calls a tool and gets the result.
- Check — is the result correct and sufficient?
- Repeat until the task is done, or hand over to a person if the situation doesn’t fit the rules.
How the agent learns your company’s specifics
The agent is given instructions (how you work, what the rules are) and access to company data — often with the RAG approach, where the agent finds the relevant information in your documents before answering.
Control
A well-built agent has a log showing every step, limits (what it may and may not do) and human approval for important decisions. That way the agent becomes a reliable assistant rather than a “black box”.