Free Lesson
What Is an AI Agent? A Plain English Guide for POs and BAs
60 min
Nov 6, 2026 1:00 PM
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What you'll learn
Tell a chatbot, an assistant and an agent apart
Use one simple test to see what you are really being asked to build, and what it means for your requirements.
Place any use case on the autonomy ladder
Judge how much freedom a use case needs and whether you need an agent at all.
Specify an agent before anyone builds it
Cover the five essentials - goal, tools, confirmation points, records and recovery - with a one-page Agent Spec Card.
Why this topic matters
Stakeholders are asking for AI agents and vendors say they have them. But ask four people what an agent is and you get four answers. That confusion is how agent projects stall at sign-off, or go live without anyone deciding what the agent may do on its own. Product Owners and Business Analysts are the people who close that gap. This lesson gives you the plain English and the checklist to do it.
