![\"\"](\"https:\/\/explore.degreed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-in-post-1-1-11-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHere’s a closer look at what AI agents are, and what they mean for learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What are AI agents?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nMore than chatbots, AI agents are systems that have autonomy to make decisions and take action. Given a goal, they can make plans, execute tasks, and re-evaluate when necessary.
Let\u2019s break it down with some examples of different levels of AI autonomy or \u201cagentic\u201d abilities. Similar to AI\u2019s capabilities, naming conventions are all over the place. The following is a basic framework my team created to help us make sense of these capabilities. Level 1 is the most basic, and level 4 is the most advanced. Note: This is not meant to be definitive. In addition, categories and definitions can certainly bleed into each other.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/explore.degreed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-in-post-2-1-10-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 1: AI Tools <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYou grab a tool from your toolbox. It does its job, and then you put it back. Similarly, AI tools are good at completing specific, narrow tasks that you define. These tools are seemingly everywhere these days, and they\u2019re probably what most people have the most exposure to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI tools include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- ChatGPT<\/strong><\/a>: for chatting, brainstorming, and generating copy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Perplexity<\/strong><\/a>: for generating research reports<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Midjourney<\/strong><\/a>: for creating images<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Runway<\/strong><\/a>: for generating videos<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Canva<\/strong><\/a>: for creating graphics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Synthesia<\/strong><\/a>: for creating video avatars<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ElevenLabs<\/strong><\/a>: for voice overs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DeepL<\/strong><\/a>: for translation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we’re building AI tools such as Degreed AI Skill Review<\/a><\/strong> for analyzing your skills and other tools to help you maintain your learning content and enhance your learning ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/explore.degreed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-in-post-3-2-3-1024x576.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 2: AI Assistants<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI don\u2019t have an AI assistant, but I understand they\u2019re great at augmenting your ability to get things done\u2014like setting up meetings and completing other basic tasks. A good AI assistant knows your preferences and working style and can leverage multiple tools. This is where we see more autonomy in selecting the right tool to perform the right action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI assistants include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Assistants from OpenAI<\/strong><\/a>: for creating a GPT with custom instructions, documents, and tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Voice assistants like <\/strong>Apple Siri<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Amazon Alexa<\/strong><\/a>: for asking questions and completing basic tasks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Our Degreed AI Assistant<\/strong><\/a> helps you find content, build a Pathway, and complete tasks in Degreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/explore.degreed.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Blog-in-post-4-v3-1-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 3: AI Copilots<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMore than an assistant, a copilot takes the controls alongside you. You work together, side by side, to do the job. While not fully independent to do the work by itself, an AI copilot teams up with you to amplify the capabilities of a human and a machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI copilots include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Github Copilot<\/strong><\/a>: for writing code<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- MultiOn<\/strong><\/a>: for navigating the web and interacting with websites alongside you<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we\u2019re exploring copilots that can help you build and manage learning programs and AI tutors that can look over your shoulder to give you real-time feedback as you work to improve your skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Level 4: Multi-Agent Supervisors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAt this level, AI helps manage other AI agents, each with specific capabilities. AI supervisors engage in planning, delegation of responsibilities, and evaluation of work by other AI agents to ensure they\u2019re achieving the desired outcome. In these ways, supervisors exercise the most autonomy and have the most \u201cagentic\u201d of capabilities. It\u2019s a level of AI we\u2019re only beginning to see emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multi-agent supervisors include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Crew AI<\/strong><\/a>: for building multi-agent systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Strawberry<\/strong><\/a>: A yet-to-be-announced GPT-5 from OpenAI, codenamed Strawberry and rumored to have supervisor capabilities * <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we\u2019re exploring leveraging an AI supervisor to help build engaging learning experiences. This experimental Degreed Pathway supervisor coordinates amongst other agents to plan content, create content, find resources, extract quotes, do quality assurance, and ensure the Pathway is built to achieve its objectives. Next steps would be optimizing the experience based on real user activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s break it down with some examples of different levels of AI autonomy or \u201cagentic\u201d abilities. Similar to AI\u2019s capabilities, naming conventions are all over the place. The following is a basic framework my team created to help us make sense of these capabilities. Level 1 is the most basic, and level 4 is the most advanced. Note: This is not meant to be definitive. In addition, categories and definitions can certainly bleed into each other.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 1: AI Tools <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nYou grab a tool from your toolbox. It does its job, and then you put it back. Similarly, AI tools are good at completing specific, narrow tasks that you define. These tools are seemingly everywhere these days, and they\u2019re probably what most people have the most exposure to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI tools include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- ChatGPT<\/strong><\/a>: for chatting, brainstorming, and generating copy<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Perplexity<\/strong><\/a>: for generating research reports<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Midjourney<\/strong><\/a>: for creating images<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Runway<\/strong><\/a>: for generating videos<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Canva<\/strong><\/a>: for creating graphics<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Synthesia<\/strong><\/a>: for creating video avatars<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ElevenLabs<\/strong><\/a>: for voice overs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- DeepL<\/strong><\/a>: for translation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we’re building AI tools such as Degreed AI Skill Review<\/a><\/strong> for analyzing your skills and other tools to help you maintain your learning content and enhance your learning ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 2: AI Assistants<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI don\u2019t have an AI assistant, but I understand they\u2019re great at augmenting your ability to get things done\u2014like setting up meetings and completing other basic tasks. A good AI assistant knows your preferences and working style and can leverage multiple tools. This is where we see more autonomy in selecting the right tool to perform the right action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI assistants include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Assistants from OpenAI<\/strong><\/a>: for creating a GPT with custom instructions, documents, and tools<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Voice assistants like <\/strong>Apple Siri<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Amazon Alexa<\/strong><\/a>: for asking questions and completing basic tasks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Our Degreed AI Assistant<\/strong><\/a> helps you find content, build a Pathway, and complete tasks in Degreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 3: AI Copilots<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMore than an assistant, a copilot takes the controls alongside you. You work together, side by side, to do the job. While not fully independent to do the work by itself, an AI copilot teams up with you to amplify the capabilities of a human and a machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI copilots include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Github Copilot<\/strong><\/a>: for writing code<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- MultiOn<\/strong><\/a>: for navigating the web and interacting with websites alongside you<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we\u2019re exploring copilots that can help you build and manage learning programs and AI tutors that can look over your shoulder to give you real-time feedback as you work to improve your skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Level 4: Multi-Agent Supervisors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nAt this level, AI helps manage other AI agents, each with specific capabilities. AI supervisors engage in planning, delegation of responsibilities, and evaluation of work by other AI agents to ensure they\u2019re achieving the desired outcome. In these ways, supervisors exercise the most autonomy and have the most \u201cagentic\u201d of capabilities. It\u2019s a level of AI we\u2019re only beginning to see emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multi-agent supervisors include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Crew AI<\/strong><\/a>: for building multi-agent systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Strawberry<\/strong><\/a>: A yet-to-be-announced GPT-5 from OpenAI, codenamed Strawberry and rumored to have supervisor capabilities * <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we\u2019re exploring leveraging an AI supervisor to help build engaging learning experiences. This experimental Degreed Pathway supervisor coordinates amongst other agents to plan content, create content, find resources, extract quotes, do quality assurance, and ensure the Pathway is built to achieve its objectives. Next steps would be optimizing the experience based on real user activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Degreed, we’re building AI tools such as Degreed AI Skill Review<\/a><\/strong> for analyzing your skills and other tools to help you maintain your learning content and enhance your learning ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t have an AI assistant, but I understand they\u2019re great at augmenting your ability to get things done\u2014like setting up meetings and completing other basic tasks. A good AI assistant knows your preferences and working style and can leverage multiple tools. This is where we see more autonomy in selecting the right tool to perform the right action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI assistants include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Degreed AI Assistant<\/strong><\/a> helps you find content, build a Pathway, and complete tasks in Degreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than an assistant, a copilot takes the controls alongside you. You work together, side by side, to do the job. While not fully independent to do the work by itself, an AI copilot teams up with you to amplify the capabilities of a human and a machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI copilots include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Degreed, we\u2019re exploring copilots that can help you build and manage learning programs and AI tutors that can look over your shoulder to give you real-time feedback as you work to improve your skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this level, AI helps manage other AI agents, each with specific capabilities. AI supervisors engage in planning, delegation of responsibilities, and evaluation of work by other AI agents to ensure they\u2019re achieving the desired outcome. In these ways, supervisors exercise the most autonomy and have the most \u201cagentic\u201d of capabilities. It\u2019s a level of AI we\u2019re only beginning to see emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Multi-agent supervisors include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Degreed, we\u2019re exploring leveraging an AI supervisor to help build engaging learning experiences. This experimental Degreed Pathway supervisor coordinates amongst other agents to plan content, create content, find resources, extract quotes, do quality assurance, and ensure the Pathway is built to achieve its objectives. Next steps would be optimizing the experience based on real user activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 2: AI Assistants<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLevel 3: AI Copilots<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Level 4: Multi-Agent Supervisors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n