AI glossary
Function calling / tool use
When a model decides to call a defined function (search, lookup, write to DB) and the surrounding framework actually executes it. The core mechanism behind agents.
Related terms
Agent
An AI system that runs a workflow — fetches data, calls tools, decides between branches, escalates to humans when its confidence is low. Different from a chatbot (which answers questions) in that an agent takes actions.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
Anthropic's open standard for connecting AI models to tools and data sources. Lets a model call a tool defined in any MCP server. We use it for ERP and internal-systems agents.
