AI agents are useful when a workflow requires interpretation, tool use and multiple decisions. They are not a replacement for every deterministic automation.
Good agent candidates
Research, lead qualification, support triage, report preparation, document review and operations coordination can benefit when the system needs to interpret context and choose among tools.
Keep deterministic steps deterministic
If a business rule can be expressed reliably as code or a workflow condition, use that mechanism. Reserve model reasoning for ambiguity and interpretation. This improves reliability and reduces cost.
Design permissions explicitly
Agents should receive the minimum tool permissions they need. High-impact actions should use approval gates, logging and human review. Retrieval, identity and role-based access are part of the architecture — not afterthoughts.
Measure task success
Evaluate whether the agent completed the business task, not just whether its response sounded good. Track tool failures, escalation rate, latency, cost and error categories over time.