AI, in plain English.

AI systems that pursue a goal across multiple steps, choosing which tools to use and when. They’re most useful when work needs judgment, not just a fixed script.

See alsoAI agentRPA (Robotic Process Automation)

Software that uses a language model to plan and take actions with tools, such as reading records, writing documents, or sending messages, rather than only generating text.

See alsoDigital coworkerMCP (Model Context Protocol)

AI that runs entirely on isolated infrastructure with no connection to outside networks, so data never leaves the environment.

See alsoPrivate AIOpen-weight model

A required human decision before an action proceeds. QRK coworkers can request approval through a Teams card tied to the exact version of the plan.

See alsoHuman-in-the-loop

The integration that lets a coworker use a business system: an MCP server, a command-line tool, an API client, or a tool built from recorded browser workflows.

See alsoMCP (Model Context Protocol)

A firewall posture where every outbound connection is blocked unless a rule explicitly allows it. QRK rules can scope access by program, host, port, HTTP method, and path.

See alsoLeast privilegeSandbox

An AI agent deployed into a defined role, with its own workstation, scoped access to business systems, memory, schedules, and a human manager. Also called a digital worker or AI employee.

See alsoAI agentHuman-in-the-loop

Validating an action without performing it, to catch errors before anything changes.

See alsoRead-back verification

A design where people approve, correct, or take over at defined points, such as before customer messages, financial actions, or record changes.

See alsoApproval gate

The security principle of giving every user, service, or agent the minimum access needed to do its work, and nothing more.

See alsoRole-scoped accessDeny-first networking

Facts and observations an AI retains across sessions. QRK coworkers use memory banks with separate read and write permissions, personal and departmental.

See alsoDigital coworker

An open standard for connecting AI agents to tools and data. A server publishes a list of tools the agent can call. In a role-scoped design, each role sees only its own tools.

See alsoRole-scoped accessConnector

A language model whose trained weights are publicly available, so it can be run on your own hardware or by a provider of your choice, with no lock-in to one vendor.

See alsoZero data retention (ZDR)Air-gapped AI

AI deployed so that your data, prompts, and outputs stay under your control: on your infrastructure or with contractual zero data retention.

See alsoAir-gapped AIZero data retention (ZDR)

An attack where text in an email, ticket, or document tries to instruct an AI to do something else. The defense is to treat content as data and confine the agent technically.

See alsoDeny-first networkingRole-scoped access

Software that service businesses, especially MSPs, use for tickets, projects, time, contracts, and billing. Examples include HaloPSA, ConnectWise, and Autotask.

See alsoRMM (Remote Monitoring & Management)

After writing to a system, independently reading the record back to confirm the change actually landed as intended. A success response alone isn’t proof.

See alsoDry run

Software IT providers use to monitor and manage endpoints and servers, such as N-able N-central or NinjaOne.

See alsoPSA (Professional Services Automation)

Granting an AI only the tools and permissions its job requires, enforced by the server rather than by instructions. A triage role can’t call project-management tools, even if asked.

See alsoLeast privilegeMCP (Model Context Protocol)

Software bots that replay fixed sequences of clicks and keystrokes. RPA is fast for stable, rule-bound tasks, but brittle when screens or inputs change.

See alsoAgentic AI

An isolated computing environment with restricted network, file, and process access. Each QRK coworker runs in its own sandboxed workstation.

See alsoDeny-first networking

A written, versioned procedure that tells a coworker how to do a job: inputs, steps, approvals, verification, and helper scripts. Think of it as an SOP an AI can follow.

See alsoDigital coworker

A short-lived helper agent that a lead coworker launches to gather evidence or do part of a task in parallel.

See alsoWork board

A durable, kanban-style queue where large jobs are split into one card per item and worked by dedicated worker lanes, with history, dependencies, and safe retries.

See alsoSubagent

A provider commitment not to store prompts or outputs beyond processing the request, and never to use them for training.

See alsoOpen-weight model