Agent programming
AI systems that can autonomously perform tasks and make decisions to achieve specific goals.
Agent programming is about building artificial intelligence systems that can act independently to complete tasks. Think of it like giving an AI a mission, and it figures out the steps needed to get there.
For example, an AI agent could be programmed to book a flight. It would need to understand your request, search for flights, compare prices, and make the booking, all without you telling it each individual step.
Agent programming focuses on creating AI systems capable of autonomous operation to achieve predefined objectives. These systems typically involve a loop of perception, reasoning, and action, often utilizing large language models (LLMs) for planning and decision-making. Tradeoffs include the complexity of defining goals, managing uncertainty, and ensuring safe, predictable behavior.
Agent programming is gaining traction as AI models like Google Gemini become more capable of complex reasoning and task execution. The focus is shifting towards enabling these models to act autonomously, making them more useful for a wider range of applications. This development is key to advancing AI from tools that respond to prompts to systems that can proactively achieve objectives.
- spark Gemini 3 FlashGoogle · Gemini Models ·
- Google Gemini
- Google Gemini's advancements in reasoning and multimodal understanding are foundational for developing sophisticated AI agents that can be programmed to perform complex tasks.
- Robotics
- Robotics involves physical machines performing tasks, while agent prog
- Automation
- Automation typically follows predefined scripts, whereas agent progr
- Expert systems
- Expert systems rely on predefined rules, while agent programming
The concept of AI agents has roots in early AI research, with formalizations appearing in academic papers discussing intelligent agents and their environments.
Ask an AI assistant like Google Gemini to plan a trip for you. Specify your destination, dates, and interests, and see how it breaks down the task and suggests an itinerary.
The Playbook: reusable how-tos, prompts, configs and tips pulled out of the news.
- PromptRole-play a student struggling with math for AI tutor simulationSimulate a student's math struggles and uncertainty for AI tutor evaluation. · 5 min
- TemplateReusable workflow templates for healthcare teamsTeams can create and share templates for common workflows like documentation or prior authorizations. · 15 min
- TemplateTemplate for building an AI tool tailored to your workA structured approach to defining and building a custom AI tool for specific business needs. · 15 min
- TemplateEvals CSV prompt list for agent skillsA CSV file template for listing prompts used in evaluating agent skills. · 20 min
- HeuristicDouble coding agent task completion with docs linksProviding coding agents with a documentation link significantly increases their task completion rate. · 2 min
Questions people ask
- What is an AI agent?
- An AI agent is a system that perceives its environment, makes decisions, and takes actions to achieve specific goals autonomously.
- How are AI agents different from simple chatbots?
- Unlike chatbots that primarily respond to direct questions, AI agents can take initiative, plan multi-step actions, and interact with other tools or systems to accomplish tasks.
First seen on Subvolts Oct 8, 2026. Updated Oct 15, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.

