Artificial intelligence (AI) agents are programs capable of perceiving their environment, making decisions, and acting to achieve goals. They range from simple systems, like a smart thermostat, to complex agents that drive autonomous vehicles or play chess at a world-champion level.
These agents operate based on sensors (data input), actuators (actions), and a decision-making logic — usually based on rules, machine learning, or neural networks. They form the foundation of many intelligent technologies we use in our everyday lives.