AI Foundations · Level 1 · Free

What is the difference between an AI agent, a chatbot and automation?

A chatbot answers questions in a conversation. Traditional automation follows fixed rules you set in advance, like 'if this, then that'. An AI agent is newer: it can take a goal, decide the steps itself, use tools and act across several stages with limited supervision. The agent's judgement is what is genuinely new.

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This is lesson 2 of the Foundations course in The Bowtie Academy, the free AI and revenue-automation school by The Sparked Group. The full lesson adds a plain-English walkthrough, a hands-on task on your own work, and a quick check, and it counts towards a verifiable certificate.

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More free lessons in Foundations

What is AI, in plain EnglishWhat is a large language modelWrite your first good promptWhy AI confidently makes things up (hallucinations)Why AI should never run unsupervised (human in the loop)The five AI tools most people already haveWhat never to paste into a public AI toolShadow AI: the risk of staff using AI nobody signed off

Part of The Bowtie Academy by The Sparked Group.