AI agents are one of the big buzzwords. The promises range from the digital employee to the fully automated company. This guide explains, without exaggeration, what of that is realistic today.
What an AI agent is
An AI agent is a system that doesn't just answer a task but plans and carries out steps on its own. For example, it can search the internet, pull data from a CRM, draft an email and check the result, deciding for itself which step makes sense next.
The difference from classic automation
| Classic automation | AI agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Process | fixed in advance | planned by the agent |
| Behaviour | predictable | flexible, but less predictable |
| Strength | recurring, clear tasks | open, changing tasks |
| Risk | low, easy to check | wrong decisions possible |
Where agents help today
- Research: Gather and summarise information from several sources.
- Preparation: Prepare materials for meetings, such as company information before a sales appointment.
- Triage: Understand incoming enquiries and hand them to the right workflow.
Where they (still) don't belong
- Where mistakes are costly and nobody checks the result
- Where decisions are made about people
- Where the workflow is clear anyway. Then classic automation is more reliable and cheaper.
Our approach
In practice, a mix works best: a clearly defined workflow in which AI helps at individual points, for example with sorting or drafting. Fixed rules decide, and a person signs off where it matters. That way you get the strengths of AI without its unpredictability. Examples are shown in the Workflow Library, such as “Sort service enquiries automatically”.
FAQ
Are AI agents and automations the same thing?
No. An automation follows fixed rules and does exactly the same thing every time. An agent decides for itself which steps to take. That is more flexible, but less predictable.
Should we bet on agents now?
For most tasks in SMEs, classic automations with AI at individual points are the more reliable choice today. Agents are mainly worthwhile for narrowly defined tasks with human oversight.
