What are agents and agent systems? How do they differ from a regular chat?

Agents are autonomous software entities capable of independently making decisions, interacting with the environment and other agents to achieve set goals. Multi-agent systems are a collection of such agents working together, often in a distributed manner, to solve complex problems.

Differences from a regular chat:

• Autonomy: agents can initiate actions and make decisions independently, whereas a chat is usually an interface for message exchange between users.
• Intelligence and adaptability: agents may possess logic, learn, and adapt to changes, whereas a chat is simply a communication tool.
• Interaction and coordination: multi-agent systems involve interaction between agents for joint problem-solving, whereas a chat is a communication channel.

Example: in a customer support system, an agent can automatically process requests, redirect them, learn from the history of inquiries, whereas a chat is just a text dialogue between a client and an operator.