What is tool use in AI agents?
Tool use is when an AI agent calls a defined function or API to get information or take an action, such as searching a database, sending an email or creating a CRM record. It is what turns a model that only writes text into an agent that does work, so every tool needs scoped permissions and logging.
Example
To answer "where is my order?", the agent calls the order lookup tool with the customer's email instead of guessing.
In one line
An agent calling a defined function or API, for example to search a database, send an email or create a record, instead of only producing text.
Related terms
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