Ep 717: AI Agents in 2026 Explained: What They Are and When You Should Use Them (Start Here Serie...

AI Agents. AI Agents everywhere. 🪐 For what seems like an eternity, we've been hearing about how AI agents were going to do everything. (In a good and bad way)  But it never really happened.  Until now.  Today, AI agents are more important than ever. But... the questions are still legit plentiful.   ↳ What actually is an AI agent?   ↳ How do they work?   ↳ And what are the best ways to implement them?  We'll tackle those questions and more, LIVE.  AI Agents in 2026 Explained: What They Are and When You Should Use Them -- An Everyday AI Chat with Jordan Wilson (Starter Series, Vol 8) Newsletter: Sign up for our free daily newsletter (https://youreverydayai.com/) More on this Episode: Episode Page (https://www.youreverydayai.com/ep-717-ai-agents-in-2026-explained-what-they-are-and-when-you-should-use-them/) Join the discussion on LinkedIn: Thoughts on this? Join the convo on LinkedIn and connect with other AI leaders. (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jordanwilson04_ai-agents-ai-agents-everywhere-for-activity-7430230935301812224-ZEEB?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAEnbkdQBR48B1Rc3uoMWlWfVMPCScgZCUCQ) Upcoming Episodes: Check out the upcoming Everyday AI Livestream lineup (https://www.youtube.com/@EverydayAI_/streams) Website: YourEverydayAI.com (https://youreverydayai.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=shownotes) Email The Show: info@youreverydayai.com (mailto:info@youreverydayai.com) Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanwilson04/) Topics Covered in This Episode: 1. AI Agents 2026: Definition & Overview 2. AI Agents vs Traditional AI Chatbots 3. Current State of AI Agents in Enterprises 4. AI Agent Adoption Statistics & Market Trends 5. Key Differences: Workflow Automation vs AI Agents 6. Types of AI Agents: Task, Process, Decision 7. Autonomous vs Passive AI Agents Explained 8. Real-World Risks: Security & Shadow AI Tools 9. AI Agent Use Case Decision Framework 10. Best Practices: Starting AI Agent Pilots 11. Measuring AI Agent ROI & Performance 12. Building Effective Agent Ecosystems Timestamps: 00:00 "Join Our Inner Circle" 05:29 "Understanding AI Agents" 08:41 "Autonomous Agents as Workers" 11:04 Agentic AI: Decisions and Challenges 17:00 "Shadow AI Poses Growing Risks" 18:00 "Agent Creativity and Loopholes" 22:04 "Agentic Transactions and AI Workflows" 25:27 "Getting Started with AI Agents" 27:20 "Future Success in AI Agents" Keywords:  AI agents, autonomous agents, agentic AI, multi-agent systems, AI agent definition, agentic models, autonomous systems, AI chatbots, AI-powered workflows, decision frameworks for AI agents, enterprise AI adoption, agent guardrails, AI task automation, passive agents, bounded autonomy, agent observability, agent traceability, agentic first workflow, AI delegation, sub-agents, tool-using AI, Send Everyday AI and Jordan a text message. (We can't reply back unless you leave contact info) (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2175779/fan_mail/new) Start Here ▶️ Not sure where to start when it comes to AI? Start with our Start Here Series. You can listen to the first drop -- Episode 691 -- or get free access to our Inner Cricle community and all episodes: StartHereSeries.com (https://starthereseries.com/)   Also, here's a link to the entire series on a Spotify playlist (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1TP8pfmlirrjxaT8d3XyJW?go=1&sp_cid=78ecd4e6-5710-48fe-ad6d-4da188993ed8) .