AI Agent
An AI agent is an autonomous AI assistant that can take actions on your behalf: sending messages, scheduling meetings, writing code, and managing tasks across multiple platforms.
What is ai agent?
An AI agent is an autonomous software system powered by a large language model (LLM) that can understand instructions, make decisions, and take actions without constant human supervision. Unlike a simple chatbot that only generates text responses, an AI agent can interact with external tools and services: sending emails, scheduling calendar events, querying databases, browsing the web, writing and executing code, and managing files.
AI agents operate across multiple messaging channels simultaneously. A single agent can handle conversations on Slack, respond to emails, chat on WhatsApp, and interact through a web browser interface. They maintain context across conversations, remember past interactions through persistent memory systems, and can handle complex multi-step tasks.
The key distinction between an AI agent and a traditional chatbot is autonomy. A chatbot responds to questions. An AI agent takes initiative, follows through on tasks, and integrates with the tools and services your business uses daily. This autonomy is what makes agents powerful, and also what makes their security infrastructure critically important.
Why it matters
AI agents are transforming how businesses operate by handling routine tasks that previously required human attention around the clock. Customer inquiries, scheduling, research, follow-ups, and data processing can all be delegated to an AI agent. For small businesses and solopreneurs, this is the equivalent of hiring a full-time assistant at a fraction of the cost.
But an AI agent is only as secure as the infrastructure it runs on. Because agents have access to your messaging channels, email accounts, calendars, and other business tools, they become high-value targets. An unsecured agent is not just a convenience risk. It is a security risk. The credentials it holds, the data it processes, and the actions it can take all need to be protected by proper infrastructure security.
How ClawTrust handles this
ClawTrust deploys AI agents on dedicated, isolated infrastructure with enterprise-grade security built in. Each agent runs on its own server with zero exposed ports, encrypted credential storage, Docker sandbox isolation, and automated health monitoring. You connect your preferred messaging channels through the dashboard, and your agent starts handling conversations immediately. The underlying infrastructure is fully managed, so you focus on what your agent does for your business, not on server security.
Related terms
OpenClaw
OpenClaw is a powerful open-source AI agent framework that lets you deploy autonomous assistants across messaging channels. Out of the box, it prioritizes ease of use over security.
Managed AI Hosting
Managed AI hosting is a fully managed service where the provider handles all server provisioning, security hardening, monitoring, and maintenance for your AI agent. You focus on using the agent, not running it.
Team Brain
Team Brain is a persistent, searchable memory system for AI agents that stores learned knowledge, preferences, and processes while automatically filtering out sensitive personal data.
Frequently asked questions
How is an AI agent different from ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a conversational interface you interact with manually. An AI agent runs autonomously on your infrastructure, connected to your messaging channels, email, and business tools. It takes actions on your behalf without you needing to be present. Think of ChatGPT as a tool you use, and an AI agent as an employee that works for you.
What can an AI agent actually do?
An AI agent can send and respond to messages on Slack, Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, and email. It can schedule meetings, draft documents, research topics, execute code, browse the web, manage files, and integrate with third-party services through APIs. Its capabilities depend on the skills and tools you enable.
Is it safe to give an AI agent access to my accounts?
It depends entirely on the infrastructure. Self-hosted agents with default configurations store credentials in plaintext and expose ports to the internet. ClawTrust stores credentials in a separate encrypted vault, runs agents behind zero-port networking, and sandboxes all tool execution. The security of the infrastructure determines the safety of the access.
Will an AI agent replace my employees?
AI agents are best at handling routine, repetitive tasks: answering common questions, scheduling, follow-ups, research summaries, and data processing. They complement human employees by freeing them to focus on strategy, creativity, and relationship building. Most businesses use agents to extend their team's capacity, not replace it.
How much does it cost to run an AI agent?
ClawTrust plans start at $79/month for a fully managed, secure AI agent with dedicated infrastructure. This includes the server, security hardening, monitoring, and an AI budget for model usage. Compare that to a part-time human assistant at $2,000+ per month.
Explore further
See it in action
ClawTrust implements ai agent automatically. Your agent is live in under 5 minutes.