The words "chatbot" and "AI agent" are often confused, but the difference is fundamental.
A classic chatbot works on decision trees: if the customer writes "complaint," show them a form. If they write "price," show the price list. Outside these pre-scripted scenarios, it can do nothing.
An AI agent (built on an LLM): understands natural language regardless of phrasing, maintains context throughout a full conversation, combines information from multiple sources, can take actions (send an email, write to CRM, create a ticket), and handles situations it wasn't explicitly programmed for.
Example: a customer writes "I have a problem with my delivery from last week, I can't find the order number, but I paid by card around May 15th."
Chatbot: no match found, displays a generic message. AI agent: searches orders by date and payment method, identifies the probable record, checks its status, responds specifically.
If you're currently considering a "chatbot" for customer support or sales, you most likely need an AI agent.