Tool Calling
Tool calling lets AI get information or take action outside the chat.
The model can decide that it needs a capability, send structured inputs to that tool, receive the result and continue the response.
Pick a task, then run the tool call
Your request
“Schedule a call with the team for Thursday afternoon.”
💬
Read
Understand request
🧠
Decide
Choose capability
📅
Calendar tool
Run externally
📥
Receive
Tool result
✅
Respond
Use the result
Ready. Select a task and run it.
Without the needed tool
Can explain or draft
The model may know what should happen, but it cannot perform an external action it has no access to.
With an authorised tool
Can retrieve or act
The external capability performs the operation and returns a result the model can use.
One model, different hands
🔎 Search
📅 Calendar
✉ Email
⌗ Code / data
Important: AI can only call tools that the product has actually connected and authorised.
Key insight: the model is not the calendar, search engine or email service. It chooses and calls an external capability, then works with the returned result.