Comparisons
Scripted chatbot vs AI agent
A scripted chatbot follows a decision tree and only answers; an AI agent understands intent, answers from your documents and takes actions such as booking, checking an order or creating a ticket. The chatbot is cheap and predictable but fails on anything unexpected; the agent needs guardrails but handles real conversations.
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| Criterion | Scripted chatbot | AI agent |
|---|---|---|
| Understands rephrasing | No | Yes |
| Answers from your documents | Only what was scripted | Yes, via retrieval (RAG) |
| Takes actions (book, look up, file) | Rarely | Yes, with tools |
| Risk of wrong answers | Low but often unhelpful | Managed with grounding and handoff |
| Setup | Days | 2–3 weeks incl. knowledge base cleanup |
| Channels | Usually one | Web, Messenger, WhatsApp, phone from one brain |
Frequently asked questions
Can an agent hallucinate prices?
Not when grounded in your price list and told to say 'I don't know' outside it; we also log every conversation and review samples weekly.
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