What is Agentic AI?

Shreyas Naphad
Jul 25
3 min read

Updated: Aug 27

Why Is Everyone Talking About Agentic AI?

A few years ago, we were surprised to see that AI could generate an essay, create art, or help us write emails. Now a new buzzword has emerged and that’s Agentic AI. It sounds technical, but it’s going to change the way how we work, learn, and interact with machines. So what is it, really?

AI That Thinks Like a Tool vs. AI That Acts Like an Agent

Until now, most AI systems were like smart tools. You give them an input and they return with an output.

You ask ChatGPT to summarize an article
You upload a photo and ask an AI tool to enhance it.
You ask questions to a chatbot.

But these tools wait for you to tell them what to do. They don’t plan. They don’t act. They don’t set goals.

Agentic AI breaks this restriction.

Agentic AI isn’t just waiting around for instructions. It sets goals, makes decisions, and takes actions to complete a task on its own. It behaves like an intelligent assistant.

Think of It Like This:

Let’s say you want to book a vacation. Traditional AI might:

Help you find flights.
Suggest hotels if you ask for them.
Remind you to pack your bags.

Now imagine an Agentic AI.

You tell it: "I want to take a vacation in August somewhere quiet, near the mountains."

And that’s it.

The Agentic AI starts acting:

Researches locations based on your preferences.
Checks your calendar and finds suitable dates.
Compares hotel options and books the one with the best reviews.
Finds the best flights within your budget.
Notifies your office of your holiday dates.
Suggests a packing list for the mountain weather.

It acts like a virtual personal assistant who thinks ahead.

The Properties of Agentic AI

So, what makes AI agentic?

Here are three qualities:

1. Autonomy

It doesn’t need constant spoon-feeding. Once given a goal, it can figure out the steps to get there.

2. Goal-Oriented

It thinks in terms of outcomes, not just isolated tasks. It tries to “complete” something rather than just respond.

3. Planning and Adaptation

It makes plans, changes them when needed, and adapts to new information.

Real-World Examples of Agentic AI

Agentic AI isn’t everywhere yet, it’s roots have been planted. You may have seen tools like:

AutoGPT or BabyAGI: These experimental programs take a goal and autonomously decide how to break it into tasks, using the internet to complete each step.
Copilot in Microsoft Office: Not just suggesting sentences but helping automate workflows, summarizing meetings, or drafting entire reports based on goals.
ReAct-style agents in research: These models can reason, search, and take actions in loops to solve complex problems.

Why It Matters: The Human Impact

Agentic AI could be a game-changer in every field:

In business, it could handle repetitive decision-making or automate entire workflows.
In education, it could guide students through personalized learning journeys.
In healthcare, it could monitor patient data and take appropriate steps like scheduling appointments, alerting doctors, or recommending medication changes.

And for the average person?

You might finally have that dream assistant. One that knows your schedule, understands your preferences, and handles life’s little problems.

Should We Be Worried?

This all sounds amazing. But, like with any new technology, there are risks to consider.

Loss of human oversight: What if the AI takes the wrong action or misinterprets a goal?
Over-automation: If machines handle too much, do we risk losing critical human judgment?
Ethical questions: Who’s responsible when an agentic AI makes a harmful decision? The user? The creator? The AI itself?

That’s why developers are being cautious. Researchers are building rules, adding transparency, and ensuring humans stay in the loop when it matters most.

The Road Ahead: Where Are We Going?

We’re still in the early days of agentic AI. The systems we have today are powerful, but not yet fully reliable or general-purpose. They can work really well in specific domains, but often fail when facing ambiguity.

Still, the vision is clear:

Imagine a world where:

You tell your home AI, “Plan a surprise party” and it takes care of the guest list, the food, the decorations, and even a custom playlist.
You say, “I want to build an online store,” and your AI designs the website, lists the products, sets up payments, and launches a marketing campaign.

We’re not there yet. But we’re moving that way.

It’s Not Just Smarter AI. It’s a Different Kind of AI.

Agentic AI isn’t just about better performance. It’s about giving machines the ability to act like teammates.

They won’t replace us but they might become our most powerful assistants.