What's the heart of an AI agent?

 title: 'A hierarchical diagram of instructions, tools, guardrails, and hooks'

At its most fundamental form, an AI agent consists of a model, tools, and instructions[1]. The language model powers the agent's reasoning and decision-making[1][2]. Tools are external functions or APIs that the agent utilizes to take action[1][2]. Instructions are explicit guidelines and guardrails defining how the agent behaves[1].

The architecture of an AI agent also includes an orchestration layer, which is a cyclical process for assimilating information, reasoning, and using that reasoning to decide on the next action[2]. It maintains memory, state, reasoning, and planning[2].