What Is An AI Agent?

Welcome to Episode 17 of the Agents Unleashed Podcast, the show that helps you find signal in the noisy world of agentic AI.Hosted by Thomas Maybrier (Digital Media Producer, Valory), this week’s episode answers the fundamental question: “What is an AI agent?” We’ll define key terms, explore historical roots, and explain the OLS approach to agents so you can understand what sets true agentic systems apart from bots and microservices.This episode begins with an origin story, tracing agent research back to the 1940s and highlighting definitions from Stan Franklin and Art Graesse. Then, we’ll map agents on the augmentation–automation spectrum and introduce David Wamsley’s modern definition. Next, get a primer on the Olas vision: self-custody, discoverability, proof of active agent, and end-user accessibility. Finally, we dive into multi-agent systems with Olas Predict and explain sovereign vs. decentralized agents in the Olas ecosystem.If you’re building or evaluating AI agents and want clarity on what “agentic” really means, this one’s for you.In This Episode:Historical foundations: Agent research from game theory to biology (Franklin & Gresse, 1997)Defining AI agents: Perceive, reason, act—autonomy vs. human-in-the-loopSpectrum of agentic AI: Augmentation to full automationOlas' four pillars: Self-custody, discoverability, proof of active agent, and accessibilityMulti-agent competition: How Olas Predict leverages decentralized prediction marketsSovereign vs. decentralized agents: Ownership, trust minimization, and transparencyResources & Links:Sigil Fund → https://www.sigilfund.comOwn your agent with OLS → https://olas.networkAgents Unleashed event replays → https://olas.network/agents-unleashedFollow Thomas on X: https://x.com/thomasmaybrierListener Survey: https://olas.network/blog/pod-survey🎵 Theme music: “Forward” by Grand Project on Pixabay → https://pixabay.com/users/grand_project-19033897/Sponsored by Sigil Fund → https://www.sigilfund.com

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