Academy

Builders · Step 3 of 5

It acts

Tools and function calls, and where letting it act goes wrong.

6 pieces · start with the guide

A tool call is text the model writes and your code runs. The arguments are generated like any other text, so a wrong one still runs unless you check it first.

The pieces in this step

The agent that acts (and when not to)

Guide · 3 minAn LLM answers questions; an agent takes action. Knowing when to hand over control — and when to hold it back — decides whether the system stays stable.

How an AI agent thinks

5 min

One agent or many? When each one fits

7 min

Three lessons the human mind offers agent architecture

5 min

From worker to specialist: an agent that owns a domain

4 min

You might not need an agent

8 min

Questions beside this step

99% Isn't Enough

Business · Step 3The gap between a system that is usually right and one that can be trusted with consequential actions.

What "agentic" actually means

Business · Step 3The word "agentic" is now on everything — chatbots, if-statements, RAG pipelines. Before you can evaluate any of it, you need the distinction.