u/mariabennettt

I'm curious where people draw the line between using an existing AI tool and investing in custom AI agent development.

If a business has complex workflows, multiple systems, or needs an AI agent to take actions rather than simply answer questions, does custom development make more sense?

What factors would you consider before deciding?

I've been thinking about the difference between an AI that simply answers questions and an AI agent that can actually take action.

For me, the interesting part isn't just better responses. It's whether an agent can understand the goal, use the right tools, handle multiple steps, and know when it needs human input.

What do you think is the one capability that makes an AI agent genuinely useful rather than just another chatbot?