Skip to Main Content

AI Chatbots vs AI Agents: Understanding the Difference for HR Leaders

by
Beth White
on January 14, 2025

AI is transforming internal operations, and the HR team is no exception in adapting to these changes. 72% of organizations use AI in at least one function, streamlining processes and boosting productivity, per the 2024 McKinsey Global Survey.

During 2024, tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT (which surpassed 250 million weekly active global users) and Co-Pilots have allowed us to experiment and learn how AI can be helpful to our work. And Gartner reports 38% of HR leaders have explored or implemented AI solutions to improve organizational process efficiency.

In 2025, we’re moving from experimenting with AI to practical applications of AI in HR. Dr. Solange Charas, Professor at Columbia University and former HR Executive, states in Forbes that “work is transforming as AI moves from a ‘tool’ to ‘collaborator’, creating an ‘agentic workplace’.” An environment where humans and AI collaborate, leveraging strengths to delegate, orchestrate, and create value together.

Understanding AI Chatbots vs. AI Agents is vital for informed decisions on integrating these technologies into HR operations. How these solutions work will help you determine which solution (or combination) is right for the pain points and needs of your organization. 

What is an AI Chatbot? 

An AI Chatbot is a conversational software solution designed to answer questions and provide information, using natural language processing to interpret a user’s needs (like an employee or customer). The AI Chatbot then responds with automated responses, from structured knowledge bases or pre-defined queries. They are typically rule-based, meaning they follow a defined set of instructions to handle specific tasks or paths, like repetitive questions or processes. 

How AI Chatbots Have Been Adopted by HR Teams – Use Cases 

1. Streamlining Recruiting Processes and Candidate Assistance 

AI Chatbots can streamline the recruitment process by handling initial candidate screenings. They ask applicants about qualifications, determine job fit, and save HR professionals significant time. Plus, AI Chatbots can schedule interviews and provide status updates to the applicant.  

2. Employee Self-Service Support 

Chatbots assist new employees 24/7 by answering FAQs about company policies, benefits, payroll, and onboarding procedures. This reduces the burden on HR staff and ensures that new hires receive consistent and accurate and consistent information. They assist in key moments like performance management, leave requests, and annual benefits enrollment.

Image of how MeBeBot AI Chatbot impacts the employee journey.

3. Employee Communications and Feedback Surveys 

AI Chatbots can be used to collect employee feedback and conduct surveys. They engage employees in real-time, boosting response rates to 70%, compared to 20% with traditional email surveys, offering valuable insights. Employees prefer accessible solutions like Chatbots in Microsoft Teams, Slack, or SMS, sending reminders, notifications, and pulse surveys.

What is an AI Agent? 

An AI Agent learns, adapts, and makes decisions based on complex workflows, algorithms, and interactions, offering advanced AI capabilities. They possess a higher degree of autonomy and can perform a wider range of tasks without human intervention yet require human supervision to improve performance. AI Agents can execute multi-step plans to solve complex problems, making them suitable for more challenging and open-ended tasks. 

How AI Agents Have Been Adopted by HR Teams – Use Cases 

1.  Content Management for Personalized Employee Support  

AI Agents ensure consistent, accurate content and resolve complex queries based on role, location, and employment status. For instance, they can manage requests for leave, process payroll queries, and provide personalized assistance based on individual employee benefits questions. 

2. Learning and Development and Career Management 

AI Agents can monitor employee performance feedback in real-time, providing personalized development recommendations. This helps in creating tailored learning and development plans that enhance employee growth and productivity. They can also provide recommendations for career paths and surface internal job opportunities that allow for more internal transfers, retaining talent longer and reducing turnover. 

3. Predictive Analytics for Talent Management 

AI Agents can work alongside internal Workforce and Talent Analysts, to synthesize vast amounts of data to identify patterns of behaviors, assisting with forecasting future trends in talent management. Large data sets in HCM systems make it challenging to analyze history and predict future risks and trends. For example, they can forecast employee turnover (historical data) and even identify employees “at risk,” helping HR leaders to develop proactive retention strategies (predicting future trends and behaviors). 

“Agents and traditional chatbots differ significantly in purpose, scope, and capabilities. Agents can be assigned a “job description” and granted access to tools (plugins) and are assigned “tasks” to complete. In contrast, traditional chatbots follow scripted workflows, addressing predefined user queries within narrow, rule-based boundaries.”

Jamie Maguire, Microsoft MVP (AI), Technical Author, Software Architect, and Developer 

Image promoting taking a product tour


Key Differences Between AI Chatbots vs AI Agents 

The primary difference between AI Chatbots and AI Agents lies in their capabilities and scope. Chatbots handle specific tasks, while AI agents manage complex queries, learn from feedback, and may need orchestration for workflows.

Feature AI Chatbot AI Agent 
Complexity Operates based on pre-defined rules Can learn and make decisions with less human supervision 
Learning and Decision Making Based on static set of instructions Capable of learning from interactions and adapting 

“While Chatbots are great for straightforward tasks, Agents are best for more complex tasks that are part of workflows and may require orchestration.” –

John Carney, Solution Architect/Advisor to MeBeBot

Getting Started with AI in HR 

For HR leaders looking to leverage AI to improve efficiency, here are a few steps to get started: 

1. Identify Pain Points: Begin by identifying the areas in your HR processes that are most time-consuming and could benefit from automation. This could include recruitment, onboarding, employee support, and performance management. A straightforward way to get started is to create a daily log of the manual work your team does, to surface areas of opportunity. 

2. Talk to Solution Providers: Based on your needs, evaluate vendors that offer both AI Chatbots and AI Agents, specifically designed for HR needs. Begin with an AI Chatbot for automating answers to employee commonly asked questions, to free up time and gain a quick time to value and return on your investment. Questions to ask a vendor can range from how does an employee ask questions to the chatbot, how does the solution work for the HR Team/Administrators, how much time does it take to implement and maintain the solution, and how are the AI models trained and improved to deliver consistent and accurate results.  

3. Analyze Results and Expand Use Cases: After selecting your vendor, work with your partner to evaluate the effectiveness of the chosen AI solution. Monitor its performance, gather user feedback, and make necessary adjustments, as AI solutions require refinement and human supervision. Metrics to consider are  

Ethical and Responsible AI Considerations 

By understanding how both AI Chatbots and AI Agents perform their tasks and make decisions, there are opportunities to add “guardrails,” to ensure that the outcomes and results follow your business and legal compliance requirements. Guardrails are methods of limiting AI’s access, from controlling responses to employee queries (preventing hallucinations), preventing sensitive personal or company information from being shared with larger publicly facing AI models, and reducing biases in the screening and sorting of candidates.  

Both AI Chatbot and AI Agents are designed to enhance operational efficiency, reduce manual workloads, and improve overall HR functions. For examples from various companies that have embraced MeBeBot’s AI solutions, read our customer success stories to learn from your peers in HR.  

“Chatbots answer your questions and prompts efficiently. Agents receive a task and can autonomously make a plan, execute it, validate and course correct until the goal is achieved.”

Martin La Rosa, VP of Engineering at MeBeBot 

Feel free to reach out to a MeBeBot Solutions Consultant to learn more about how our AI Chatbots and AI Agents can help your HR Team.


ABOUT AUTHOR

Beth White

Beth White is the innovative CEO and Chief Bot at MeBeBot, where she leads the charge in transforming HR and employee experience through AI and automation. As a female founder and AI pioneer, Beth is passionate about elevating the role of HR by leveraging cutting-edge technology to create more efficient, supportive, and empowering workplaces.