An AI workflow is a structured sequence of steps that processes input data to reach a defined output. It’s like an assembly line, where each task is performed in order, often using tools like Dify, Langflow, or Flowise.
A resume analyzer workflow:
- Receive uploaded resume
- Parse the text
- Extract key skills
- Generate a summary
- Recommend job openings
An AI agent is a goal-oriented autonomous system that can reason, decide what actions to take, and adapt its behavior as needed. Rather than following a strict path, it plans dynamically and may retry or adjust based on outcomes.
An AI researcher agent:
- Given the task: “Find and summarize the latest in quantum computing.”
- It searches online, selects relevant articles, summarizes them, and emails a report — all without being told exactly how to do it.
| Feature | AI Workflow | AI Agent |
|---|---|---|
| Control Flow | Predefined (flows, diagrams) | Dynamic (plans its own steps) |
| Flexibility | Low to medium | High (can adapt mid-task) |
| Goal | Execute a process | Achieve a goal |
| Memory | Usually stateless or limited state | Can be long-term or short-term memory |
| Tools | Visual tools, workflow engines | LangChain agents, AutoGPT, CrewAI, etc. |
"Workflows are like carefully scripted routines — precise and consistent. Agents, on the other hand, are like intelligent improvisers — given a goal, they find the best way to reach it on their own."