Many AI products labeled as AI agents are little more than dressed-up chatbots or repackaged assistants, a practice called "agent washing." Related:Tips for successfully exiting AI vendor contracts"When I'm looking at an agent platform, I don't start by asking whether it's autonomous. "A real agent can reason through variation. Related:Your AI vendor is now a single point of failureGlib said that in most cases, he recommends ignoring agents altogether. Whether a vendor calls something an AI agent, an assistant or an automation platform isn't the most important question, according to Collins.