English
Reading Technology in English: What are 'AI agents'?
Related terms: 英語 長文読解 科学英語 語彙 AI agent autonomous control
Key points (reviewing AI explanation)
Tech English is actually an easy genre to read because the same words appear repeatedly. The core vocabulary this time: agent (something that acts on someone's behalf), task (a job), on its own (by itself), control (to control), allow (to permit). In particular, the construction 'allow O to do (permit O to do something)' appears extremely frequently. Even if you encounter an unfamiliar word like 'autonomous,' you can still read it if you infer that it means the same as the earlier 'on its own.' Developing the habit of looking for paraphrased expressions before reaching for a dictionary will speed up your long-passage reading.
Explanation
Let's try reading trending AI news in English. In 2026, "AI agents" are a hot topic. An AI agent is software that can do tasks on its own, like booking a trip or writing code, instead of just answering questions. Companies say agents will work for us, but experts warn that we must control what an agent is allowed to do. The key words here are "on its own" (autonomously) and "allowed to" (permitted). This is ideal practice for guessing meaning from context.
Source: awak.co.jp