What are AI agents, and how do they work? 2025 guide
What is an AI agent?
An AI agent is a type of software that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals, often without human intervention. It's more than just an automated script or chatbot; it's designed to act intelligently and autonomously.
You can think of an AI agent like a personal assistant with a task list and some brainpower. It can take instructions like "book me the cheapest train to Berlin" or "gather the top headlines from five different news sites" and actually figure out how to do it on its own.
AI agent definition
At a technical level, an AI agent is any program that uses inputs (from sensors, APIs, or the web), processes them through logic or learned behavior, and outputs an action, whether that's returning information, triggering a workflow, or interacting with a service.
How do AI agents work?
AI agents operate through a cycle that closely mirrors how humans make decisions: they perceive, they plan, and they act. This cycle is often referred to as the "agent loop."
Perceive, plan, act: the agent loop
Perceive: The agent gathers data from its environment, whether that's a website, an API, or user input.
Plan: It processes that data to decide what to do. This might involve reasoning, querying memory, or using a model like GPT-4.
Act: It performs an action like submitting a form, retrieving structured data, or triggering another process.
Some agents run this loop once. Others are designed to repeat it continuously, adapting as they go.
Real-world examples of AI agents
AI agents aren't science fiction anymore, they're already being used across industries.
Customer service: AI chatbots can resolve complex requests like tracking packages or canceling subscriptions by interacting with multiple systems behind the scenes.
Web automation: Tools like Lindra.ai allow AI agents to interact with websites directly by extracting data, clicking buttons, or triggering workflows without code.
Research assistants: Agents can browse the web, summarize articles, compare product reviews, or draft responses based on your preferences.
Scheduling tools: Some agents can check your calendar, suggest meeting times, and even book appointments with other people.
Why AI agents matter in 2025
We're in the middle of a shift from tools that follow instructions exactly to tools that understand what you want and figure out the how on their own.
In 2025, AI agents are already transforming:
How businesses handle repetitive tasks
How developers and no-code builders create workflows
How AI models interact with the web in real time
The role of Lindra in powering AI agents
Lindra.ai lets agents extract structured data and trigger workflows from any website, instantly and without code. When that site changes, Lindra's self-healing APIs adapt automatically to keep workflows running smoothly.
Risks and ethical considerations
Autonomy: Letting agents act online introduces risk of errors or unintended consequences.
Security: Agents that interact with third-party systems or sensitive data need careful control.
Transparency: Users should understand what decisions the agent is making and why.
Final thoughts
AI agents represent a fundamental shift in automation, enabling intelligent, adaptive workflows. Tools like Lindra make it easy to harness their potential without fragile scripts.