Read the Fine Print on That AI Agent

Read the fine print on that "AI agent." Gartner did. Out of thousands of vendors claiming to sell one, about 130 are actually agentic.

The rest is agent washing: old chatbots and rule-based workflows with a new label and a higher price tag.

So what does a real agent actually do? It sets a goal, works toward it, checks its own progress, and decides what to do next. (Without you hovering over it like a helicopter parent.)

Most of what's being sold as "agents" doesn't do any of that. You ask, it answers, it stops. That's a chatbot with better marketing.

Next time a vendor pitches you an "AI agent," ask one question: does it decide its own next steps, or does it wait for yours?

If it waits, you're buying a chatbot at agent prices.