Getting started with IBM watsonx Orchestrate

Working with AI agents

An AI agent is a system that performs tasks on behalf of a user or another program, either autonomously or with minimal input. These tasks are often triggered by specific events, and the agent reports outcomes back to the user or system.

When agents interact with users, they can learn to optimize actions and make informed decisions. This learning process often leverages techniques such as reinforcement learning, enabling the agent to achieve specific goals. With their ability to perceive, reason, and act, agents can be applied across domains such as finance, healthcare, and HR to enhance efficiency, customer experience, and business outcomes.

You can interact with AI agents in several ways:

• Use prebuilt and external agents from the catalog to get started quickly
• Create custom agents using the no-code experience
• Access shared agents directly from your chat interface, if your team has already deployed them

Continue exploring the next sections to learn how to discover, build, and use agents effectively.

Knowing your role

Clearly defining team roles in watsonx Orchestrate helps streamline operations and ensures everyone contributes effectively to building and using AI agents.

Three roles form the foundation of the platform: admin, builder, and user. To ensure cohesive operations and strategic alignment, a fourth role is also essential: the product expert. Know more about each role:

Admin

The first member to join watsonx Orchestrate, the admin is responsible for granting user access and assigning roles. They ensure that the platform is properly configured and ready for building and using AI agents. Admins have the Agentic Control Plane to manage and configure the platform.

Are you an admin? Go to Configuring the watsonx Orchestrate environment

Builder

The designer and creator of AI agents. Builders develop agents tailored to specific business needs. They collaborate closely with users and admins to gather input and create solutions that streamline workflows and boost productivity.

Are you a builder? Go to Building AI agents to get started.

User

The person who interacts with AI agents to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently. Their primary interface is Orchestrate Chat, which enables them to run tasks through a conversational and intuitive experience.

Are you a user? Go to Using AI agents in Orchestrate Chat to get started.

Product expert

A versatile role that combines the responsibilities of admin, builder, and user. Product experts oversee the full agentic experience—from configuring administrative settings to orchestrating complex multi-agent workflows. Their deep understanding of the platform helps ensure seamless integration and strategic alignment across teams.

Are you a product expert? Complete the three learning paths to unlock your full potential.

For more information about roles and their capabilities, see Roles on IBM watsonx Orchestrate.

Configuring the watsonx Orchestrate environment

Before your team can start building and using agents, admins must complete essential configurations, including:

• Adding users and assigning roles
• Managing connections and team credentials
• Configuring instance security
• Completing additional administrative settings

Follow the next guide path and select each step to learn about the admin's responsibilities and start working with watsonx Orchestrate.

Building AI agents

Before your team can start building and using agents, admins must complete essential configurations, including:

• Adding users and assigning roles
• Managing connections and team credentials
• Configuring instance security
• Completing additional administrative settings

Follow the next guide path and select each step to learn about the admin's responsibilities and start working with watsonx Orchestrate.

Organize agents with workspaces on IBM Cloud

You can create workspaces to organize your agents and collaborate on IBM Cloud.

Workspaces provide a private space where teams can build, test, and manage agents together while keeping in-progress work visible only to selected members.

You can assign members as owners or editors with role-based permissions, move agents between workspaces while preserving dependencies, control who can view or modify specific agents, and organize your work by project, team, or business unit.

Workspaces also provide analytics scoped to the current workspace, helping maintain governance while supporting focused and effective collaboration across your organization.

For more information about creating and managing workspaces, see Overview of workspaces.

Using AI agents in Orchestrate Chat

Once the environment is configured and agents are deployed, users can interact with agents through Orchestrate Chat to complete tasks efficiently and boost productivity.

Follow the next guide path and select each step to learn about the user's actions and start working with watsonx Orchestrate.

Additional resources

Deepen your understanding of watsonx Orchestrate with the following resources:

• What's new in IBM watsonx Orchestrate

  Stay up to date with the latest releases, improvements, and new features from the watsonx Orchestrate team.

• IBM watsonx Orchestrate Agent Development Kit (ADK)

  Learn about the tools designed to help you build and deploy agents more efficiently using watsonx Orchestrate.

• Known issues

  For known issues you might encounter, check the Known issues and limitations you might encounter.