---
Title: "What Is an Autonomous Agent in AI? Definition"
Url: "https://computer.io/glossary/autonomous-agent"
Topic: "Agentic AI"
Description: "An autonomous agent is an AI system that pursues a goal on its own, deciding and taking actions with little human input. Examples, levels of autonomy and risks."
---

# What is an autonomous agent?

An autonomous agent is an AI system that can pursue a goal on its own, deciding what to do next, using tools and taking actions with little or no step-by-step human input. In business, autonomy is usually bounded by permissions, approval gates and audit trails.

## Levels of autonomy

| Level | Agent behavior |
| --- | --- |
| Suggest | Drafts, a person acts |
| Approve | Acts after approval |
| Act and report | Acts, then notifies |
| Fully autonomous | Acts without review |

## Example

An autonomous support agent verifies a duplicate charge, issues a refund within policy and closes the ticket, escalating anything outside policy.

## Risks

Wrong actions, data exposure and loops. Start with low-risk tasks and expand.

## FAQ

### Are autonomous agents the same as AI agents?

Autonomous agents are AI agents that operate with high independence.

### What is the key benefit of autonomous agents in support?

Resolving issues end to end, 24/7, without waiting for a person.

### How do you control autonomous agents?

Permissions, approvals for risky actions, monitoring and audit logs.

## Related terms

- [AI agent](https://computer.io/glossary/ai-agent)
- [Agentic AI](https://computer.io/glossary/agentic-ai)
- [Human in the loop (HITL)](https://computer.io/glossary/human-in-the-loop)
- [What is a key benefit of using autonomous agents in customer support?](https://computer.io/answers/what-is-the-key-benefit-of-autonomous-agents-in-support)

## How Computer helps

- [How computer works](https://computer.io/how-computer-works)
- [Customer agent](https://devrev.ai/solutions/customer-agent)

## Further reading

- [Solving customer support biggest problems with ai agents](https://devrev.ai/blog/solving-customer-support-biggest-problems-with-ai-agents)
- [What are ai agents](https://devrev.ai/blog/what-are-ai-agents)