An agent is generally defined as a person or entity authorized to act on behalf of another person or organization, known as the principal. This authorization allows the agent to represent, negotiate, or perform tasks for the principal, often with some degree of decision-making power

Key Aspects of an Agent:

• Legal and Business Context: An agent acts with the principal's permission to carry out specific duties, such as negotiating contracts, managing affairs, or making decisions. Examples include real estate agents, attorneys, stockbrokers, and corporate agents. Agents owe a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of their principal

• Types of Agents:
  • Universal Agent has broad authority to act on behalf of the principal.
  • General Agent has authority to conduct a range of activities.
  • Special Agent is limited to specific tasks or purposes, such as a registered agent who accepts legal documents for a business

• Agency Relationships: These can be created explicitly through contracts or implied by actions. The principal is legally responsible for the acts of the agent performed within the scope of their authority

• In Artificial Intelligence: An AI agent is a system or program capable of autonomously performing tasks on behalf of a user or another system. AI agents use advanced models to make decisions, solve problems, and interact with environments, often adapting and learning over time to improve performance

• In Grammar: The agent is the noun or pronoun that performs the action of the verb in a sentence

In summary, an agent is an authorized representative acting for another, whether in legal, business, technological, or linguistic contexts.