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AI 'workflows' vs 'agents': know the difference

Published 6 September 2026 · Source dated 15 August 2026

'AI workflow' and 'AI agent' aren't the same thing, and the line matters as tools like Figma's agent and Cursor blur it. Knowing which is which helps you predict what a tool will actually do with your file.

'AI agent' has become a catch-all term, so it's worth knowing the difference between a fixed 'workflow' (do A, then B, then C, always the same steps) and an actual 'agent' (given a goal, it decides its own steps). This matters right now because tools you already touch — Figma's design agent, Cursor, Claude — are marketed as agentic but often mix both: some steps are scripted, some are genuinely autonomous. Knowing which is which helps you predict what a tool will actually do with your file, and it's a useful thing to be able to explain if it comes up when talking about how you work with AI tools day to day.

Coach

pick one AI feature you use weekly (Figma's agent, a Cursor prompt, etc.) and write one line — is it following fixed steps or making its own calls? — in your notes.

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