AI Agents
Understanding autonomous AI systems — how they perceive, reason, and act to accomplish complex goals.
An AI agent is a software system that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions autonomously to achieve a defined goal — without requiring step-by-step human instruction for every action.
Unlike a simple chatbot that only responds to direct questions, an AI agent can plan a sequence of steps, use tools (such as browsing the web, writing code, or reading files), evaluate the results of its actions, and adapt its approach until the task is complete.
Perceive
Takes in information from its environment — text, images, web pages, file contents, and more.
Reason
Breaks down a complex goal into smaller sub-tasks and determines the best sequence of actions.
Act
Executes actions using available tools, evaluates the outcome, and continues until the goal is met.
Computational Thinking Connection: An AI agent is a compelling real-world example of computational thinking in action. It applies decomposition (breaking a task into steps), pattern recognition (identifying what has worked before), abstraction (ignoring irrelevant details), and algorithmic thinking (following and refining a plan) — all core pillars of computational thinking — to autonomously accomplish a specified goal.