Quick answer
An AI agent uses a model, instructions and tools to work through a task. Unlike a fixed workflow, it may decide which step to take next. Ask what it can actually change, what information it relies on and who checks the result.
What makes an agent different from a workflow
A fixed workflow follows the steps someone designed. An agent may decide which tool to use next. Suppliers use the word loosely, so ask them to show you where the software makes a choice and where it simply follows a rule.
Anthropic’s explanation of agents and workflows makes this distinction explicit. Both can be useful. A fixed sequence can be easier to operate when the inputs and required actions are predictable.
| Part | Role | Marketing question |
|---|---|---|
| Instructions | Define the task and boundaries | What counts as complete? |
| Model | Interprets information and selects actions | How are mistakes evaluated? |
| Tools | Read information or perform actions | Which systems can it change? |
| State | Tracks the work already done | Can it resume without repeating actions? |
| Checks | Validate results and stop failures | What requires a person’s approval? |
Follow one task through the loop
Consider an agent asked to prepare a campaign summary. It reads the brief, retrieves the relevant data, checks whether a period is missing and chooses whether to request another source. It then calculates or retrieves results and drafts the commentary.
Each step has a separate failure mode. The right calculation on the wrong date range is still wrong. A correct draft sent to the wrong destination is also a failure. Evaluate the complete task rather than only the quality of its prose.
Memory is not the same as learning
A system may retain a record of previous steps or retrieve saved information. That does not mean it has retrained its model or become more accurate. Ask what is stored, how it is corrected and which users or tasks can access it.
A stored assumption can be repeated just as easily as a useful fact. Keep important information tied to an authoritative source, especially when campaign terms, prices or permissions change.
Separate advice from action
Start by defining whether the agent may read, draft, edit or publish. These permissions carry different consequences. A tool intended to suggest a budget change does not need the ability to execute it.
Test missing inputs, rejected actions and attempts to repeat completed work. Set limits on time, cost and retries, and make unresolved cases visible. For a practical starting point, see AI agents in marketing operations.
A working agent needs explicit permissions, a recovery path and a business case that includes review and correction. See our guides to AI agent governance and AI marketing ROI.
