AI agents

What it is about

An AI agent is a system able to act autonomously to reach a defined goal. Unlike conversational tools, an agent performs tasks without human intervention at every step. It interprets instructions, plans multiple actions, executes them across various systems or tools, and adapts according to the results.

An agent built to manage a supply chain can query supplier databases, compare lead times and prices, draft a request for quotation, send it and record the interaction in a management system. These tasks follow on from one another without human instruction at each stage.

Issues and debates

Agent autonomy creates major challenges. When an agent produces an error or makes a questionable decision, accountability becomes blurred: its creator, its operator, or the organisation that deployed it? These systems also inherit the biases present in their training data. The question of human control remains central: maintaining suitable oversight, neither absent nor paralysing, in an ecosystem where agents continuously handle critical tasks raises organisational and technical difficulties. The energy footprint of these systems is also under discussion.

European regulation and framework

In Europe, the regulation on artificial intelligence (AI Act) sets the legal framework, built on a risk-based approach: systems are classified according to their potential impact on health, safety and fundamental rights. Autonomous agents often fall into high-risk categories. The interplay between the AI Act and the GDPR remains essential: the GDPR governs the processing of personal data, while the AI Act adds requirements on how the systems themselves operate and on their level of risk.

What ActuIA follows

ActuIA tracks regulatory developments around AI agents: clarifications on their risk classification, early feedback from organisations, debates on the governance and transparency required. We also cover technological innovations, the security and auditability issues of autonomous systems, and the organisational transformations they bring about.