A state machine makes workflow behavior explicit by defining the states a process can occupy and the transitions allowed between them. An order might move from received to paid, shipped and delivered, while a failed payment takes a separate route. This is useful for long-running agents and business automations.
A support ticket might be open, waiting for customer, resolved or reopened, with rules about which moves are allowed. In AI systems, an agent can be free to decide within a step while the state machine controls which step is next. That mix keeps flexible language handling inside clear business rules, and it is a common way to build AI agent orchestration.
Explicit transitions make it easier to test invalid moves, resume work and handle errors consistently. They also limit ambiguity compared with relying on a model to decide every step freely. Related: Agent State, Workflow.