An intelligent agent is an autonomous entity that leverages sensors to understand a situation and make decisions. It can also use actuators to perform both simple and complex tasks.
In the beginning, it might not be so great at performing a task, but it will improve over time.
In the context of artificial intelligence, intelligent agents refer to autonomous entities that perceive their environment, reason about actions they can take to achieve their goals, and then act upon the environment to accomplish those goals. These agents can be simple or complex, ranging from basic programs executing predefined rules to sophisticated systems employing machine learning and other AI techniques.
Key components of intelligent agents include:
- Perception: Agents must be able to perceive or sense their environment through sensors or input mechanisms. This involves collecting relevant data about the state of the environment.
- Reasoning: Agents need to reason about the information they have gathered to make decisions. This may involve applying logic, probability theory, or other computational techniques to infer the best course of action.
- Decision-making: Based on their reasoning, agents must select actions to achieve their objectives. This involves evaluating different options and choosing the one that maximizes some predefined utility function or satisfies specified criteria.
- Action: Once a decision is made, agents must act upon the environment to execute the chosen action. This may involve interacting with physical or virtual systems, influencing the environment in pursuit of their goals.
Intelligent agents can be found in various applications, including robotics, autonomous vehicles, recommendation systems, game playing agents, virtual assistants, and more. They play a crucial role in advancing the field of artificial intelligence by enabling systems to perceive, understand, and act in complex and dynamic environments.