Teams often ask for “AI” when they need something narrower. Use this guide to pick the shape of the work.
Quick comparison
- Chat / assistant: draft, answer, summarize in a conversation
- Workflow automation: known triggers and fixed steps (n8n, Zapier, Power Automate, etc.)
- AI integration: one capability inside a system (classify, extract, search)
- AI agent: multi-step work with tools and approval boundaries
Decision shortcuts
If every case follows the same path → start with workflow automation.
If you need smarter reading or search inside an app you already have → AI integration.
If the system must gather context, call several tools, and stop for a human on risk → AI agent.
Mixing them is normal. A workflow can call an AI step (OpenAI, Claude, or another model). An agent can trigger a workflow. What you should not do is pay for an agent project when a checklist automation would do.