In simple terms, a chatbot is a conversational program designed to follow a script or a set of rules. It can answer questions, provide information, and perform basic tasks within a very narrow domain. Think of the customer service bots you encounter on websites; they are helpful for predefined queries but falter when faced with complexity or tasks that require reasoning.

An AI agent, like Manus, is a significant leap forward. It doesn't just follow a script; it understands your goals, creates a plan to achieve them, and then executes that plan using a variety of tools. It can browse the web, write code, analyze data, and even create content. The key distinction is autonomy. You provide the objective, and the agent determines the best way to accomplish it, reasoning and adapting as it goes. It's the difference between a tool that gives you a fish and a tool that learns how to fish for you.