PodChats for FutureCIO: AI agents What you need to know (separate hype from reality)
FutureCIO, Monday, February 17th, 2025
A chatbot is an artificial intelligence program that chats with you. The first chatbot, Eliza, was developed by MIT professor Joseph Weizenbaum in the 1960s. Six decades later, we have ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, joining Alexa and Siri.
What are AI agents?
While chatbots use pattern matching and natural language processing to interpret user inputs and choose the correct responses from pre-programmed options, AI agents analyse data, make decisions, and integrate with various tools and environments, acting as "supercharged assistants".
AI agents leverage large language models (LLMs) to execute various practical tasks, such as filling out forms, researching information, and summarising data. They are LLMs that are given agency, usually function calling in a RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) setting, to make high-level decisions about how to perform tasks in an environment.