Foundations
AI Agents vs Workflows: What Is the Difference?
How fixed automation, model-powered workflows, and autonomous agents differ in control and reliability.
Workflows follow a path
A workflow moves through steps chosen in advance by a developer. A model may classify, summarize, or generate content inside those steps, but the application still decides the sequence.
Agents choose the path
An agent has discretion over at least part of the sequence. It may select a tool, break a goal into tasks, revisit an earlier decision, or ask for missing information based on what it observes.
Use the least autonomy needed
Deterministic workflows are easier to test and cheaper to run. Add agentic decision-making only where variability creates real value, and keep predictable operations in ordinary code.