A Non-Techie’s Guide to Understanding AI Agents

AI Agents Explained Like You’re Chatting with a Friend

Arc Sosangyo
6 min readDec 10, 2024
Photo by julien Tromeur on Unsplash

Imagine having an assistant who never sleeps, never complains, and always follows instructions (unlike certain coworkers who remain unnamed). That, my friends, is the essence of an AI agent. Let’s break it down — no tech jargon, just pure, digestible geekiness.

What Are AI Agents?

Think of an AI agent as a super-smart digital butler. It’s software that’s designed to:

  • Observe: Gather information from its environment (like Sherlock Holmes but with zero ego).
  • Think: Process that information and figure out what to do (minus the coffee-fueled overthinking).
  • Act: Do the thing — whether it’s booking your flights, recommending movies, or beating you at chess (don’t take it personally).

In short, an AI agent is like your brainy cousin who’s always two steps ahead but doesn’t hog the Wi-Fi. These agents are goal-driven, meaning they’re always working toward a specific task or objective. Think of them as relentless taskmasters who don’t take breaks (or vacations).

How Are AI Agents Related to Artificial Intelligence?

--

--

Arc Sosangyo
Arc Sosangyo

Written by Arc Sosangyo

Arc is an iOS Dev and app publisher, a former IT manager who transitioned to iOS engineering, and a big fan of AI, coding, science, history, and philosophy.

No responses yet