Agents vs. automation

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A script follows a fixed path: step 1, step 2, step 3, done. If step 2 fails, the script fails.

An agent is given a goal and decides its own path. It looks at the situation, chooses an action, observes what happened, and chooses again. When something unexpected occurs, it adapts instead of crashing.

The practical difference

	Script	Agent
Instructions	Exact steps	A goal
Failure handling	Stops	Tries another way
Tools	Hard-coded	Chosen at runtime

Where the line blurs

Most real systems are hybrids: deterministic scaffolding around agentic decision points. Knowing where to place the agentic parts — and where determinism is safer — is most of the craft, and it's what this course teaches.