Short answer
A chatbot is primarily a conversation interface. An AI agent is part of a process: it can understand intent, retrieve data, check rules, prepare an output and start a workflow. The difference is responsibility, not only answer quality.
When is a chatbot enough?
A chatbot is enough when the goal is to answer repetitive questions, collect contact data or route users to the right page. It does not need access to the company's operational systems.
- offer FAQ
- simple lead qualification
- website navigation
- collecting form data
When do you need an AI agent?
An AI agent makes sense when the conversation should end with an action: classifying a request, creating a record, sending a summary, checking a status or passing the case to the right person.
- support requests
- internal knowledge base
- document summaries
- workflow in n8n or Power Automate
How do you reduce risk?
The essentials are scope of responsibility, escalation rules, conversation logs, answer tests and a clear notice that the user is talking to an AI system. The agent should help without hiding its limits.