What to know about tech’s newest buzzword: ‘agentic’ AI

2 hours ago7 min read

For technology adopters searching for the next paradigm shift, 'agentic AI' represents the frontier where artificial intelligence transitions from conversational partner to autonomous actor. While marketing materials and industry buzz might suggest this is an entirely novel concept, the underlying architecture has roots stretching back decades to multi-agent systems research pioneered in academic circles.The fundamental distinction lies in capability: today's generative AI chatbots, powered by sophisticated large language models, excel at pattern recognition and content creation through statistical prediction of sequences, effectively performing advanced word completion tasks. In contrast, agentic systems are engineered for execution—they receive high-level objectives, decompose them into actionable steps, and operate across digital environments with measurable independence.This evolution mirrors the trajectory from computational tools that respond to commands to collaborative entities that initiate processes, adapt to changing conditions, and deliver outcomes without constant human supervision. A recent MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group study surveying over 2,000 executives globally positions these systems as a new class capable of planning, acting, and learning autonomously, functioning not as passive instruments but as proactive teammates.Amazon Web Services' Vice President of Agentic AI, Swami Sivasubramanian, emphasizes this transformative potential, envisioning agents that transcend conversational boundaries to accomplish complex, multi-step workflows. The practical implications are profound: consumers might soon deploy AI agents for personalized shopping within budget constraints or automated travel arrangements, while enterprises could leverage them for intricate operational tasks.Thomas Dietterich, professor emeritus at Oregon State University, illustrates this with hypothetical agents managing medical billing or defending against cyber threats, though he cautions against diluting the term to encompass mere automated queries. The terminology itself has sparked academic interest, with Harvard's Milind Tambe noting the recent popularization of 'agentic' from its psychological and chemical origins into the AI lexicon, while researcher Andrew Ng advocated for its adoption to distinguish advanced autonomous workflows from simpler automation. As development accelerates at organizations like OpenAI, Google, and IBM, critical questions emerge about scalability, security, and societal impact—how will millions of interacting agents coordinate, what governance frameworks will prevent malicious coordination, and where should we draw the boundary between assistance and autonomy? The journey from reactive chatbots to proactive agents marks not merely an incremental improvement but a fundamental reimagining of human-computer collaboration, promising to redefine productivity while demanding rigorous ethical consideration.

#agentic AI

#AI agents

#generative AI

#chatbots

#automation

#enterprise technology

#featured

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