Chatbots vs. Agents
A chatbot responds to messages. An agent takes action. The difference is state and capability. Chatbots are stateless — each conversation starts fresh. Agents maintain context across sessions, remember your preferences, and can execute multi-step tasks. A chatbot answers 'What flights are available?' An agent checks your calendar, compares options, factors in your loyalty programs, and books the flight with your approval.
Durable State
GreatChat's agents are durable — they persist across sessions, maintain conversation history, and remember project context. When you close the app and come back, your agent picks up where you left off. It knows about your upcoming trips, your pending emails, your project files, and your team's preferences. This durability transforms AI from a tool you query into an assistant that works alongside you.
Explicit Confirmation
Agents that act on your behalf need guardrails. GreatChat's agent requires explicit confirmation for actions with real-world consequences — booking travel, sending emails on your behalf, making purchases. It presents a summary of what it plans to do, waits for your approval, and executes only after you confirm. You stay in control; the agent handles the research and preparation.
Cross-Experience Orchestration
The real power of a durable agent is cross-experience orchestration. The same agent that drafts your email also manages your calendar, plans your travel, and tracks your orders. It sees the full picture — your meeting at 3pm means the 2pm flight won't work, the email thread about the product launch connects to the calendar event next week, and the order confirmation in your wallet relates to the project deadline.