Traditional SaaS runs deterministic workflows — if X, then Y. AI agents make decisions: they read context, choose the next action, and adapt as they learn.
What changed
With LLMs, software can now take fuzzy input ("send a follow-up to this lead with the right tone") and produce correct output without rigid branching logic.
What stayed the same
You still need integrations, auth, permissions, and observability. AI does not change the plumbing.