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GlossaryAgentsIntermediate

Data agent

An AI agent that accesses and processes company data to answer questions and create reports.

In plain terms

A data agent is a specialized AI tool designed to understand and work with your company's information. Think of it like a smart assistant that can read through documents, databases, or other data sources you give it.

For example, if you ask a data agent to "show me our sales figures for last quarter," it can find that information, process it, and present it to you, perhaps even as a simple chart or dashboard. This helps people get insights from their data without needing to be technical experts.

The expert version

A data agent is an AI system, often built on large language models, that is granted access to specific datasets or data sources. Its primary function is to interpret natural language queries, retrieve relevant information from the designated data, perform analysis or transformations, and present the results. This typically involves capabilities like data querying, summarization, and visualization, enabling non-technical users to interact with complex data.

Why it matters now

OpenAI is highlighting its Data agent feature within ChatGPT Work. This allows teams to directly query their company data for answers and dashboards, bypassing traditional data departments. The focus is on making data more accessible and actionable through AI.

Where it shows up 3 items, newest first
How each company uses it
OpenAI ChatGPT
OpenAI is promoting its Data agent for ChatGPT Work, which connects business data to create AI agents that provide answers and dashboards from simple questions.
Related terms

AI agentLarge language modelData analysisBusiness intelligenceRetrieval augmented generationTool use

Often confused with
Data pipeline
A data pipeline is a system for moving and transforming data, but
Database
A database stores information, while a data agent is an AI that can in
Business intelligence tool
BI tools often provide dashboards and reports, but d
Origin

The concept of agents interacting with data has evolved with AI, with specific implementations like data agents becoming prominent as LLMs gained tool-use capabilities.

Try this about 5 minutes

If you have access to a tool with a data agent feature, try asking it a question about a document you've uploaded, like "Summarize the key points of this report." You can also ask it to extract specific information, such as "What is the main conclusion of this article?"

Try it: Playbook entries that use thisPlaybook →

The Playbook: reusable how-tos, prompts, configs and tips pulled out of the news.

Questions people ask

What kind of data can a data agent access?
Data agents can be configured to access various sources, including documents, spreadsheets, databases, and other structured or unstructured data relevant to a user or organization.
Is a data agent the same as a chatbot?
While both may use natural language, a data agent is specifically designed to interact with and process data, whereas a general chatbot might focus on conversation or information retrieval from a broader knowledge base.

First seen on Subvolts Sep 10, 2026. Updated Sep 25, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.