Interface agents

An agent is a program or set of programs which have a specific, user-understandable competence, which use sensors to learn about their environment and effecters to manipulate it, and to which the user can assign (delegate) tasks that she is unable or unwilling to perform — usually because the task is too repetitive, too uninteresting, or too overwhelming when faced by a user. Agents typically build a model of the user and the user’s tastes, desires, needs and so on; this model is then used to customize the agent’s behavior and its interactions with the user.