What Exactly Are AI Agents? Why OpenAI and LangChain Are Fighting Over Their Definition?

Key Takeaways At the simplest level, AI agents are software programs powered by artificial intelligence that can perceive their environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve a goal—often autonomously. OpenAI and LangChain recently debated what truly defines an agent — simplicity vs. flexibility is the core divide. Agents differ from LLMs, chatbots, and workflows by being goal-driven, tool-using, and proactive. AI Agents are already used in coding, business ops, healthcare, education, personal productivity, and many other areas.

Apr 23, 2025 - 08:23

At the simplest level, AI agents are software programs powered by artificial intelligence that can perceive their environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve a goal—often autonomously.
OpenAI and LangChain recently debated what truly defines an agent — simplicity vs. flexibility is the core divide.
Agents differ from LLMs, chatbots, and workflows by being goal-driven, tool-using, and proactive.
AI Agents are already used in coding, business ops, healthcare, education, personal productivity, and many other areas.