What Are AI Agents?

What you'll be able to do

• A 10-minute orientation to the five-chapter beginner path — what agents are, how they work, where you already use them, when they fail, and how to work alongside them. No code, no jargon, just clear thinking.
• The mental model shift from AI that answers questions to AI that does work — explained through everyday workplace scenarios, no code required.
• The three ingredients that turn a chatbot into an agent — explained through workplace analogies, zero code required.
• A tour of AI agents hiding in plain sight at work — from Microsoft Copilot to customer service bots — and the exact moment each one crosses the line from chatbot to agent.
• An honest look at the ways AI agents stumble — hallucination chains, confident mistakes, loops, and non-determinism — framed as normal workplace challenges with practical responses, not reasons to panic.
• The practical handbook for your new role as agent manager — writing clear instructions, knowing when to step in, reviewing output efficiently, and building a personal playbook that makes you better at delegation every week.