A field guide to AI positions

Tool use / function calling

Using AI.

Dated sources are over 18 months old; other dates are unknown.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 3

Newest dated source: 2023-11-27

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

Open in the glossary Reading notes · Structured record

Prepared with AI assistance. Not independently fact-checked. Original sources and qualifications are below.

In plain language

A model requests an action; application code can run the connected tool and return its result. [1]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-tools-1a5192ba3d7825ca26b24a72. Edition 0.20.0.

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Limits & distinctions

A tool request, a completed action and a successful outcome are separate events. Check the tool's result before accepting a claim that a task is finished. [1] [3]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-tools-09422ce4d5c74cb753a9bb98. Edition 0.20.0.

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A fuller explanation

The model produces a request naming a tool and the information it needs. The application handles that request and can return the result to the model. A calculator is a simple example; connected services can also change or send information. [1] [2]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Explanation based on the linked sources. Claim ID: claim-term-tools-1e4c26398ee834b2e16dc7b8. Edition 0.20.0.

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How it relates to the map

Ask what tools are available, what they can reach and which actions need approval. [2]

Reference this explanation or suggest a correction

Editorial interpretation or qualification. Claim ID: claim-term-tools-25f52a21ad9f2e54a62ed1b2. Edition 0.20.0.

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https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/tools/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Tool use

    Hugging Face Transformers documentation · First-hand source · Published date unavailable · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read tool descriptions, model-generated call requests, application execution and returning results to the chat. Example functions were not run. Used for the separation between requesting and executing an action; live page publication date unspecified.

    Source ID: hf-tool-use

  2. 2. LLM06:2025 Excessive Agency

    OWASP Gen AI Security Project · First-hand source · Published date unavailable · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read agency definition, excessive functionality/permissions/autonomy, external authorization, approvals and monitoring limits. The 2025 label identifies the edition; the page does not establish its original publication date.

    Source ID: owasp-excessive-agency

  3. 3. Guidelines for secure AI system development: Secure operation and maintenance

    UK National Cyber Security Centre · First-hand source · Published 2023-11-27 · Material last read 2026-09-15

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2023-11-27

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read scope is described in the source note.

    No archive check recorded.

    Read monitoring of behavior and inputs, privacy-aware logging, update evaluation and lessons learned. Date follows the containing guideline publication. Describes operational monitoring, not complete explanation of learned weights.

    Source ID: ncsc-ai-operations

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

Pinned complete dataset · Complete evidence page · Agent consumption guide