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LATHICAI Glossary

Agents & Agentic AI

Long-running agent

An AI agent designed to continue a task over an extended period or across sessions.

Example

An agent works through a multi-stage research assignment with saved state.

Why people use it

It supports tasks that cannot reasonably be finished in one short exchange.

What you'll hear

“Save progress so it can continue later.”

What this means for you

Provide checkpoints, progress visibility and a reliable stopping mechanism.

Can you control it?

Sometimes

Sometimes. Your choices depend on the tool and your access. The settings available to an everyday user may differ from those available to the people running it.

Common questions

Does a long-running agent need no supervision?
No. Extended execution creates more opportunities for drift and accumulated mistakes.
Can it lose track of the original goal?
Yes. Repeated steps and changing information can pull it away from the intended task.
Does keeping progress mean every action is reversible?
No. Saved state does not undo a message sent or another completed external action.

Related terms

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