A chatbot is a conversation. You ask, it responds, the loop ends. Useful, and often enough.
An agent takes a goal and does something about it. It calls tools, chains steps, and works toward an outcome with less hand-holding. That extra power comes with extra responsibility to constrain it.
Why the distinction matters
- A chatbot needs good answers. An agent needs good judgment and good guardrails.
- A chatbot is low-risk. An agent that acts can cause real effects, so it needs boundaries.
- You test them differently. One on responses, the other on decisions and actions.
Pick on purpose
Plenty of problems only need a good chatbot. Reaching for an agent when a chatbot would do adds risk and cost for no gain. Choose the smallest thing that solves the problem.
Give an agent a goal and tools, and it will do exactly what you set it up to do. Set it up carefully.