Tool

In AI, a tool is something you pick up, use, and put back down — a spell-checker, a calculator, ChatGPT opened to write one email. Its defining trait is that it does nothing until you reach for it: no memory of its own, no schedule, no actions taken while you sleep. You drive; it does not drive.

Why it matters: A lot of what’s sold as an “agent” or a “platform” is, up close, a tool with a markup — a nice screen wrapped around a button you press when you want a draft. That’s not an insult; tools are great, and usually cheaper than the name they’re sold under. The mistake is paying agent money for one. (On this site, tool also carries a second, verdict sense — the thing that measurably earned its keep — see Tool / Toy / Trash.)