What the Heck is an AI Agent?

The new question I’ve been getting a lot lately is:
"What the heck is an AI agent?"

And honestly? That’s a great question — because if you’ve been paying attention to commercials and ads lately, you’ve probably heard the term tossed around like it’s the next big thing.

I remember 20 years ago, when we all started talking about “bots,” everyone had a different idea of what they actually did. And here we are again, with new language, new possibilities, and — let’s be honest — a fair bit of hype.

So, let me help clear it up for you.

So, what is an AI agent?

In plain English:
An AI agent is just a software program powered by artificial intelligence that can act autonomously (or semi-autonomously) to complete a task or set of tasks, based on your goals.

Instead of you manually prompting it each step of the way, an AI agent is designed to make decisions, execute actions, and adjust its behavior based on feedback — just like you’d expect an employee or assistant to do.

For example:

• You tell an AI agent to book you the best flight and hotel for your conference, and it goes out, compares options, books the trip, and emails you the itinerary — without needing you to check each step.

• Or you set up an AI agent to follow up with leads in your CRM. It sends customized emails, responds to replies, and even books meetings directly to your calendar.

It’s not just responding to a single question or prompt — it’s “working” on your behalf, across steps and decisions.

Why all the buzz now?

The technology behind AI agents (like large language models combined with APIs and process automation) has matured enough in the last year that they’re suddenly practical for everyday business use — not just in labs.

Think of it as the next evolution of what AI can do for you:

• Yesterday: AI could write an email draft if you told it exactly what to write.

• Today: AI agents can write the email, send it, analyze the reply, and decide what to do next — all without further instruction.

But here’s the catch…

As powerful as AI agents are, they’re still just automation tools at their core.

They can do the work, but they can’t set the right goals, craft the right messaging, or truly understand the nuances of your audience and brand voice.

That’s where intent, strategy, and experience come in.

If you program an AI agent with the wrong goals or poor messaging, you’ll just get the wrong results — faster and more efficiently. On the other hand, when you combine solid audience insight and a clear strategy with these tools, the results can be game-changing.

That’s why I remind clients: don’t hand the keys to the robot just yet. It still needs a smart driver to tell it where to go.

Why does it matter for you?

If you lead a business, a nonprofit, or a marketing team, here’s what to watch for:

• AI agents can save you hours of repetitive work.
• They can free your team to focus on strategy and relationships — things only humans can do well.
• They’re not magic, though — they need clear goals, good data, and oversight.

Leaders who understand how to use these tools wisely will gain a serious edge over those who dismiss them as just “buzzwords.”

If you want me to do a deeper dive on what kinds of AI agents you could use in your organization today — and how to make sure they’re aligned to your strategy, hit reply and let me know. I’ve been building some real-world examples I’d be happy to share in a future post.

In the meantime, don’t let the jargon intimidate you. An AI agent is just another way to put technology to work… for you.