Understand LLMs · Lesson 06

Model, chatbot, agent: what is the difference?

Which layers turn a language model into a chatbot, then into a system that can act with tools?

Level
Beginner
Core time
13 min
Updated
27 July 2026
Prerequisites
None
Progress
Not started

Start with the mechanism

Three steps to keep in mind

  1. 1

    Model

    The learned mathematical engine produces scores or outputs from an input.

  2. 2

    Chatbot

    The application prepares context, manages history, applies rules, and presents replies.

  3. 3

    Agent

    An orchestrator can choose a tool, observe the result, and decide what to do next.

Try it yourself

The lab isolates this mechanism with a small, transparent simulation. Everything runs locally in your browser.

Open “Compose an AI system

Keep these three ideas

Go deeper when you need it

Technical detailWhat the short version leaves out

External memory belongs to the application, not to the model parameters. Selected memories must be retrieved and placed back into context.

The word “agent” has no single universal boundary, so capabilities should be described explicitly.

Your local progress

Status: Not started

Progress stays on this device.