Building AI agents: 5 common hurdles and fixes

AI agents are increasingly sophisticated tools capable of automating workflows and making decisions, but deploying them in real-world applications presents challenges that affect their reliability, performance, and accuracy. Key issues include managing tool integration, ensuring consistent model reasoning, handling multi-step processes, controlling hallucinations, and maintaining performance at scale. To overcome these hurdles, developers should implement robust validation mechanisms, structured reasoning techniques, and fail-safe measures. This approach helps optimize AI agents for reliability and scalability, providing real business value, especially in complex enterprise environments. The outlined best practices are essential for CTOs and CDOs leading AI initiatives, ensuring that AI agents deliver tangible benefits while navigating the complexities of modern data-driven environments.