Most teams start with a chat box because the model vendors did. It is one interface among several, and often the wrong one for a task that has structure, deadlines or a defined output.
Four shapes that recur
Conversational chat, a task panel that shows a running plan, inline assistance inside an existing form or editor, and background agents that surface results as notifications. Each fits different work and carries different expectations about latency and control.
Match the shape to the job
A user filling in a compliance form wants inline suggestions they can accept or reject field by field. A user delegating a research task wants a plan view they can leave and return to. Chat suits open-ended exploration.
Consequences for the frontend
The shape decides your component tree, your state model and how much reasoning you expose. Choosing chat by default makes later migration expensive because the transcript becomes the source of truth.
Action step
Take one agent feature your team is planning. Write down the task it serves, then pick the interface shape that fits and one reason a chat box would fit worse.
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