Chatbot vs. agent
A chatbot answers the question you just asked. An agent works toward a goal: it follows standing instructions, can use tools or information you connect (your notes, a calendar, a web search), and handles several steps in a row. Think of a chatbot as asking a friend a question, and an agent as giving a helper a recurring job.
The four parts of every agent
- Goal: one clear job, e.g. "every morning, summarize what I need to know today."
- Instructions: the rules, tone and format, written in plain English.
- Inputs and tools: what it can read or use, such as pasted emails, a document or web search.
- Check step: where you review the result before anything leaves your hands.
Five beginner agents to try
- Inbox triage: sorts pasted emails into reply now, later and ignore, and drafts short replies.
- Daily briefing: turns your calendar, to-dos and a few news topics into a 2-minute morning summary.
- Meal planner: plans the week's dinners around your budget and builds a grocery list.
- Job scout: compares job posts against your résumé and flags the best fits.
- Patch-notes tracker: summarizes game updates and what they change for your build.
Safety rules
- Start read-only. Let it draft, not send.
- Never paste passwords, card numbers or bank details.
- Keep a human approval step before anything is sent, bought or deleted.
- Double-check facts, dates and numbers.
