gensai.aiAn AI copilot is an assistant built into work tools that suggests, drafts or summarises without acting on its own. The human stays in control and validates every result. That is the difference with an AI agent, which can carry out a sequence of actions by itself. Microsoft 365 Copilot and GitHub Copilot are examples.
In practice at Gensai
Choosing between a copilot and an autonomous agent is part of scoping every Gensai project: the right level of intelligence depends on the risk and value of the task.
Copilot or agent: how to choose?
A copilot fits when a human must keep the decision: drafting a customer reply, preparing a summary, suggesting a clause. An agent becomes relevant when the task is well framed, repetitive and reversible, such as booking an appointment or updating a record. Many projects start as a copilot before automating the safest steps.
Common mistake
Deploying a copilot without usage rules. Without clear guidelines on permitted data and on reviewing, it produces workslop: content that looks finished but shifts the checking work onto the recipient.
Same theme
Definition written with AI assistance, checked by Sébastien Lecocq, co-founder of Gensai.
Going beyond the definition?
From concept to project: Gensai builds custom, sovereign, GDPR-compliant AI solutions.
Related services: AI agents