Watch out for Agent Smith! As long as your outside of the Matrix no problem, but inside this software program will hunt you down and help you meet your maker. Well fortunately the Matrix was just a figment of someone's imagination, however agents or bots(software programmed to complete tasks on their own) do exist. These programs can book flights, find information, buy stock, etc. So at this point agents seem to be a good thing. They are our personal secretaries. They are meant to make things easier. Hopefully this won't change. I don't want to see the day that I am running from a bot.
Bots, short for robots, are programs designed to do tasks that become boring, mundane, or time consuming for people.
"Bots, also called intelligent agents or personal profile agents, are poised to help you find a job, download software, follow your stocks, search for bargain air fares, bid for auction items, grab image files or audio news clips and perform other feats of digital magic. Over time, your Bot would be trained to learn that you love ABC Radio and the Wallabies Rugby Union team, that you need the stock price of BHP each and every morning, and that politics bores you to tears. A quiet revolution is taking place right now. As the amount of content on the Internet explodes into literally billions of web pages, informed people are using automated and self-directed software called Bots or Intelligent Agents to eliminate information overload, increase productivity, and obtain a sharp competitive advantage."(CR&T,2003)