AI Agent (Occupational Context)

A system or program capable of autonomously performing tasks on behalf of a user or another system by designing its workflow and utilizing available software tools, without the ability to perform physical actions.

This definition, from workplace AI research, distinguishes digital AI agents from physical robots and emphasizes three capabilities: autonomy, workflow design, and tool use. The “without physical actions” boundary is important, it scopes what digital agents can reasonably be expected to do.

Related: 07-atom—human-agency-scale, 07-atom—automation-vs-augmentation