AI Agents vs Chatbots: Why Agents Go Beyond Simple Conversations

Most businesses have experimented with chatbots. They can answer FAQs, provide scripted responses, and sometimes deflect simple support requests.

But chatbots have limits. They **talk **— they don’t act.

That’s where AI agents come in.

What’s a Chatbot?

• Conversational tool designed to answer predefined questions
• Works best with structured flows (FAQs, scripted support)
• Limited to answering, not executing tasks

What’s an AI Agent?

• Task-oriented system that combines language understanding with automation
• Can take action: update systems, trigger workflows, send documents
• Works across business functions (finance, HR, sales, support)

Chatbot vs AI Agent: Key Differences

Example

• Chatbot: “Would you like me to connect you with support?”
• AI Agent: Reads the support request, creates a ticket, assigns priority, and sends a follow-up email.

Conclusion

Chatbots are customer-facing assistants. AI agents are digital coworkers. For businesses that want real impact — not just conversations — AI agents deliver far more value.