Glossary
The AI assistant glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terms that get used interchangeably — AI colleague, AI agent, AI executive assistant, and more — and what actually sets them apart.
- What Is an AI Agent Audit Trail?An AI agent audit trail is a complete, reviewable log of what an AI did — every tool call, source, and approval — tied back to the request that started it.
- What Is an AI Agent? Definition, Types, and How They WorkAn AI agent is software that perceives, decides, and takes multi-step actions toward a goal. How agents work, autonomy levels, and what makes them reliable.
- What is an AI chief of staff?An AI chief of staff runs the connective work around a leader — briefings, follow-ups, meeting prep, and cross-tool tasks — with judgment calls left to you.
- What is an AI colleague?An AI colleague is an AI assistant that works inside your team's existing tools, with memory, governed actions, and a full audit trail.
- What is an AI coworker?An AI coworker is an autonomous AI that works alongside a team as a digital team member — owning multi-step work end to end and reporting back.
- What is an AI employee? Definition, examples, and limitsAn AI employee is an AI system that takes on real work like a hire — carrying tasks to completion in your tools. Definition, examples, and honest limits.
- What is an AI executive assistant?An AI executive assistant runs your scheduling, inbox, and coordination inside the tools you already use, with memory, real actions, and approvals.
- What is an AI personal assistant?An AI personal assistant handles reminders, messages, calls, research, and your apps. Modern ones take real actions instead of just answering.
- What is an AI phone assistant?An AI phone assistant places and receives real phone calls on your behalf — holding the conversation, capturing the outcome, and updating your records.
- What Is an AI Virtual Assistant? Definition and GuideAn AI virtual assistant handles scheduling, email, and research automatically. What it does, how it differs from a human VA, and what to look for.
- What is human-in-the-loop AI? (HITL, explained)Human-in-the-loop AI keeps a person at the decision points of an automated system — approvals before consequential actions, review after. Here's how it works.