Distinguish chat, workflows and agents
Chat starts by responding to an input. A workflow follows a defined sequence. An agent can decide which next step is useful within its boundaries. Good applications often combine these approaches: fixed rules for critical steps and flexible assistance for research and drafting.
More autonomy is not automatically better. A simple process with three known steps may not need an agent that plans freely. Scope should match the risk and how easily results can be checked.
Example: preparing a customer response
An agent reads an approved request, retrieves relevant contract and knowledge excerpts and prepares a reply. If a reliable source is missing, it flags the open question. Sending the message is a separate action subject to configured approval controls.
AI Link agents use the shared workspace for chat, company knowledge and connected tools. This links research and drafting with existing workflows. The example scenes use fictional data.
Four boundaries for a useful task
A useful task specifies more than its goal. It also defines what may be read or changed, when a person must take over and how results are checked. Time and cost limits help stop ambiguous tasks in time.
- Goal: what result is expected?
- Access: which sources and tools are allowed?
- Approval: which actions need a decision?
- Stop: when should the agent pause and ask?
Sources & further reading
Original research, provider documentation and further reading on the concepts and figures discussed here.