Tool choice distinguishes agents from fixed workflows
Grootendorst distinguishes agents from fixed pipelines by their ability to decide autonomously when and why to use specific tools—rather than following a rigid, predetermined sequence.
Supporting evidence
An Agent Is Just an LLM in a For-Loop
Original excerpt
Fair enough. The key distinction is whether the system makes its own decisions about when and why to use a tool, versus being put in a pipeline where you explicitly say “always do steps one, two, and three.” An agent might decide to do steps 3, 3, 1, 2, 1, 3 — deciding on its own when and where to use specific tools. I think that’s maybe the best distinction between what is and isn’t an agent.
Context
Maarten Grootendorst:
Share insightCheck this claim