From Lab to Life · Essay

Understanding AI Agents: From Chatbots to Autonomous Digital Workers

The shift from passive AI assistants to active agents represents the most significant transformation in AI

Published
27 October 2025
Author
Tali Režun
Topics
AI Agents · MCP

The foundational definitions essay. Sets out the taxonomy of chatbots, assistants, agents and autonomous workers, with a four-tier autonomy hierarchy and a five-level maturity model for agentic AI. Uses the post-MCP framing and the consensus definition of an agent as "tools in a loop".