“AI agents” are everywhere in 2026 — but what are they, really, and what can they do for your business? Here’s a plain-English explanation for leaders. (dgm implements osFoundry as an independent partner.)
What an AI agent is
An AI agent is software that can take actions toward a goal — not just answer a question. Where a chatbot responds to a prompt, an agent can:
- use tools and call systems;
- retrieve information;
- make decisions along the way; and
- complete multi-step tasks, with varying autonomy.
In business terms: an agent can do a workflow, not just talk about it.
Agent vs chatbot
| Chatbot | AI agent |
|---|---|
| Responds to messages | Takes actions |
| One step | Chains multiple steps |
| Answers | Completes tasks |
That extra power is why agents are useful — and why they need more care.
What agents are good for
Agents shine on repeatable, multi-step workflows:
- triaging and routing enquiries;
- processing documents end-to-end;
- gathering and summarising information; and
- drafting and updating records.
They work best where the steps are fairly predictable and the actions can be bounded and reviewed.
The risks — and how to manage them
Agents introduce real risks:
- acting on wrong information (AI can be confidently wrong);
- taking unintended actions; and
- data exposure.
Manage them by: scoping the agent narrowly, limiting permissions and the actions it can take, keeping a human in the loop for significant actions, and logging everything. Don’t give an agent broad, unsupervised power over critical systems. (See how to keep humans in the loop.)
Where osFoundry and dgm fit
dgm builds agents with safety built in on osFoundry: human-in-the-loop control for significant actions, scoped permissions and tools, and audit logging so you can see what the agent did. osFoundry supports agents (including scheduled runs) with this kind of control, plus data control via self-hosting or an EU region (it publishes US/EU/JP regions, not a UK one). The point is agents that are useful and bounded, not autonomous and risky.
dgm is an independent integration partner with zero integrations so far. To explore where agents fit your workflows, book a consultation with dgm. General information, not specific advice.