Conversation is not execution
A chatbot usually responds to a prompt. It can explain a policy, summarize a document, or help a person think. Its job ends with the answer.
An operational agent has a different contract. It diagnoses a bounded situation, assembles a plan, takes an allowed action, and assesses the result. It must know what it may do, what requires approval, and what evidence to keep.
The DATA loop
A practical agent loop has four responsibilities. Each can be tested separately, which is essential when the workflow affects a customer or a production system.
- Diagnose the request and gather relevant context.
- Assemble a plan using business rules and available tools.
- Take action only within explicit permissions and approvals.
- Assess the result, record evidence, and escalate uncertainty.
Design for a controlled handoff
The most important agent screen may be the approval screen. It should show the proposed action, source context, confidence or validation result, and a clear way for a person to approve, reject, or edit.
That makes the agent a reliable participant in the operating system rather than an opaque autonomous feature.