What is an unattended artificial intelligence agent?
Definition
An unattended artificial intelligence agent can continue a task after the user leaves the active interface. It may work on a schedule, respond to events or operate in a remote computer environment until it completes, fails or requires input.
Useful autonomy needs durable state, limits, observability and safe failure handling. Approval gates protect consequential actions but should be placed deliberately so ordinary low-risk work does not stall without warning.
Acronyms and aliases
unattended AI agent variant
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
How does an unattended AI agent continue working?
It runs in a persistent local or remote environment with stored task state, tools and stopping conditions.
Why can approvals interrupt unattended tasks?
The runtime pauses when an action exceeds the agent's authority and requires a person to review it.
