AI agents glossary

The table below defines many of the terms related to AI agents and provides links to more information about them.


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The table below defines many of the terms related to AI agents and provides links to more
information about them.
Related article:

AI agent resources











Term
Definition
Learn more


Advanced AI agent
A previous term for an AI agent created in the AI
agents - Advanced add-on. On May 11, 2026, the AI agent
functionality previously restricted to the add-on became part of all
Suite and Support plans.
About AI agents


Agentic AI
A type of artificial intelligence that can perceive,
reason, plan, and act independently to achieve complex goals with
minimal human supervision.
About AI agents with agentic
AI


AI agent
An AI-powered chatbot that interacts with customers on
one of your support channels.
About AI agents


AI agent ticket
A ticket for a messaging conversation that was handled
entirely by an AI agent or a default messaging response. By
definition, an AI agent ticket hasn’t yet been or never was
escalated to a human agent.
Understanding AI agent tickets
for AI agent–only conversations


Automated resolution
The unit of measurement used for calculating and
billing your account for AI agent usage.
About automated resolutions for
AI agents


Configured action
A configurable task that an AI agent can perform during
a conversation with a customer.
About configured actions for
advanced AI agents


Conversation flow
How a conversation between an AI agent and a customer
unfolds. A conversation flow can be shaped by a generative procedure
or a dialogue.

Creating generative
procedures to shape flexible conversation flows for AI
agents
Creating dialogues to define
scripted conversation flows for AI agents



Default messaging response
A previous method of configuring the first message sent
to a customer when they launch the Web Widget. This response
included a basic greeting, a request for more information, and a
message letting the customer know they’re being connected to a human
agent.
Configuring messaging responses
and business hours


Dialogue
A scripted conversation flow that uses branching logic
to determine an AI agent's responses and actions during a
conversation with a customer.
Creating dialogues to define
scripted conversation flows for AI agents


Entity
A piece of information that has a specific meaning,
which an AI agent can recognize and treat in a particular
way.
Creating entities in conversation
flows for advanced AI agents


Escalation
The process of handing off a customer conversation from
an AI agent to a human agent.
Configuring escalation strategies
and flows for advanced AI agents


Essential AI agent
A previous term for an AI agent created using the AI
agents - Essential level of AI agent functionality. On May 11, 2026,
AI agents - Essential became legacy functionality.
About AI agents


Expression-based AI agent
A previous generation of Zendesk AI agents that used
manually trained expressions to understand customer requests and
link to scripted dialogues.
About AI agents


Generative AI
A type of artificial intelligence capable of creating
content based on large training datasets. In AI agents, the created
content types include text and audio.
Generative AI at
Zendesk


Generative procedure
A flexible conversation flow that uses agentic AI to
guide an AI agent's responses and actions during a conversation with
a customer.
About generative procedures for
AI agents


Generative reply
Content that an AI agent creates using generative AI.
Also referred to as an AI-generated answer.
Configuring generative replies in
AI agents


Integration builder
A no-code tool that enables you to connect an AI agent
to any API or data source without extended technical or programming
skills.
About the integration builder for
AI agents


Legacy AI agent
A term for an AI agent created using AI agent
functionality that is no longer current. Often refers to an AI agent
built using the bot builder, answers, and intents.
About AI agents


Parameter
A piece of information you can collect and use to
tailor AI agent workflows, including using in conditional blocks,
segments, and API integrations.
Using parameters in AI
agents


Procedure
See Generative procedure.
About generative procedures for
AI agents


Reply
A container for the dialogue that's triggered when the
associated use case is detected during a conversation. Distinct from
Reply method.
Creating and managing replies for
AI agents


Reply method
Whether a use case uses a generative procedure or a dialogue.
Distinct from Reply.
Configuring whether a use case
uses a dialogue or generative procedure


Segment
A collection of customers who share common traits. You
can use segments to tailor AI agent workflows for distinct subsets
of your user base.
Creating segments to target
specific customers in AI agent conversations


Structured message template
A form, webview, or custom template that can be used to
collect or present certain information to a customer during a
conversation with an AI agent. Distinct from
Template.
Creating and managing structured
message templates for AI agents


System reply
A response that an AI agent sends to a customer at a
specific point in a conversation, such as a welcome message or a
feedback request.
Viewing and editing system
replies for AI agents


Template
A centralized reply that you can link to from multiple
generative procedures or dialogues. Distinct from Structured
message template.
Using templates in conversation
flows for AI agents


Use case
The mechanism by which an AI agent understands what a
customer is asking about during a conversation. Use cases are the
topics that your customers need help with, such as order returns or
refund requests.
Creating use cases for AI agents
to identify what customers are asking about


Zero-training AI agent
A previous generation of Zendesk AI agents that used
use cases to understand customer requests and link to scripted
dialogues. Much of the configuration performed for zero-training AI
agents (such as use cases) remains the same for the current, agentic
AI generation of Zendesk AI agents. The important distinction is
that AI agents with agentic AI can also use generative
procedures.
About AI agents






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