My definition: Agent as a Service (AaaS) is when you pay for an AI agent, or a small team of agents, to deliver a finished result for you, instead of paying for software that you still have to operate yourself.
SaaS sells you the tool. AaaS sells you the work done.
Where the term comes from (credit where due)
I didn't invent "Agent as a Service". Researchers were using it more than ten years ago. A 2013 paper described moving "from IaaS to AaaS", and multi-agent systems researchers kept the idea alive through the 2010s. Since 2024 the big platforms (Salesforce, Microsoft, AWS, IBM and others) have made agents a mainstream product, and standards bodies such as ITU-T are now drafting requirements for "AI agent as a service".
What I add is the solopreneur's view from Southeast Asia: how one person with a team of bots can sell AaaS to local businesses. I've run my own business on 47 bots and built bot teams for clients.
AaaS vs SaaS at a glance
| SaaS (Software as a Service) | AaaS (Agent as a Service) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Access to a tool | A result delivered by agents |
| Who does the work | You or your staff | The agent (with a human checking) |
| Typical pricing | Per seat, per month | Per task, per outcome or a retainer |
| Skill needed | Learn the software | Explain the goal clearly and review the output |
| Example | A design app subscription | "Five social posts drafted and scheduled every week" |
| Risk | Tool sits unused | Mistakes slip through without human checks |
Three SEA solopreneur examples
- Property agent (Singapore/KL): a bot team drafts listing copy, answers new enquiries in English and Chinese, and books viewings. The property agent pays a monthly retainer for the result, not for five apps.
- Hawker or F&B owner (Penang/JB): an agent turns weekly photos into captions and a promo calendar. The owner approves on the phone.
- Coach or trainer (Jakarta/Manila): agents follow up after a class, track each mentee's progress and send reminders. The coach sells this as part of the programme.
How to start offering AaaS (my 4-step version)
- Pick one boring, repeated job a local business hates doing.
- Build a small bot team for it and run it on your own business first.
- Price the outcome, not the hours.
- Keep a human in the loop. You review and sign off, because your reputation is the product.
FAQ
- What does AaaS stand for in AI?
- Agent as a Service: AI agents that do tasks for you as a paid service. (Don't confuse it with "AAAS", the American Association for the Advancement of Science.)
- Is AaaS replacing SaaS?
- Not overnight. For years most businesses will use both. More and more software will come with agents built in.
- Did BK Han invent Agent as a Service?
- No. The term has been used since at least 2013. This page is my practical definition for solopreneurs.
- Can a non-technical person sell AaaS?
- Yes, if you understand the client's problem and check the agent's work. Today's tools let you build agents without code.
- How is AaaS connected to Agentomic?
- Agentomic is my name for the economy where agents do real work. AaaS is one of its main business models.
Go deeper
My book Agentomic: Why Agentic AI Is the New Economy, and How to Stay Relevant in It has a full chapter on AaaS vs SaaS, with a 7-day starter plan.
Coach BK Han founded AI Hustle Generation on 12 Dec 2023 and trains people across Southeast Asia to work alongside AI.