The distinction, plainly
An AI agent is autonomous. It runs, it produces output, and a person reviews the output afterwards. An AI assistant is collaborative. It sits alongside a person while the person is doing the work.
Both are useful. Neither is a substitute for the other. Choosing between them is a workflow decision, not a technology decision.
“One does the work. One helps you do the work.”
Where each belongs
Agents belong on work that is high-volume and low-judgment. Prospecting the top of a well-defined funnel. Producing baseline drafts. Running the boring parts of a research pass. The pattern is: the person could do it, but doesn't need to, and the review cost is small.
Assistants belong on work that is low-volume and high-judgment. Writing the specific reply to the specific account. Deciding what to say in the pricing conversation. Reading a specific customer's product usage before their renewal. The pattern is: the person has to be in the loop, and the AI's job is to make them faster, not to replace them.
