AI assistant vs AI agent
Compare the role of a person, the tool connection and the permitted actions.
Where the difference starts
An AI assistant helps a person complete requested work. An agent can choose and carry out a sequence of configured steps. This is a distinction in behavior, not a promise about quality.
Product examples
Shopify Sidekick assists a merchant in the admin and respects staff permissions. Descript’s Underlord assists media editing. Zapier Agents describes app-connected teammates configured for recurring work. A product may include both assisted and agent-like features.
Why labels are insufficient
Some assistants can perform actions, and some agents pause for review. Inspect the feature and account scope rather than assuming that “assistant” means no actions or “agent” means no oversight.
Questions for procurement
Identify the review checkpoint, allowed applications, action history and rollback route. A content draft and a published account change have different operational requirements.
Related products and tasks
Shopify Sidekick · Explore the related task →
Descript · Explore the related task →
Zapier Agents · Explore the related task →
Official source examples
- Official product information
Shopify · www.shopify.com · Read · 2026-10-01
- Official product information
Descript · www.descript.com · Read · 2026-10-01
- Official pricing
Descript · www.descript.com · Read · 2026-10-01
- Official product information
Zapier · zapier.com · Read · 2026-10-01