Agentic AI

Explain Like I'm 5

Think of the difference between a GPS and a Self-Driving Car.

• Generative AI: It is like a GPS. It knows everything and can tell you exactly how to get to the destination, but you still have to drive the car and turn the wheel.
• Agentic AI: It is like a Self-Driving Car. You just say Take me to office, and then you can go to sleep. The AI handles the steering, the brakes, the traffic, and the detours on its own.

What is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI refers to systems capable of independent action to achieve a specified objective.

While Generative AI focuses on creating content like text or images, Agentic AI focuses on executing tasks. It integrates with tools like Internet searches, browsers, APIs, MCPs to power the LLMs.

The Core Traits of Agentic AI:

1. Autonomy: It doesn't need a human to approve every micro-step.
2. Perception: It can see the environment (e.g., read a screen, check API response).
3. Tool Use: It can click buttons, navigate page, run code, or send emails.
4. Persistence: If it fails, it tries a different approach rather than giving up.

We are seeing the rise of LAMs (Large Action Models), models trained specifically to navigate user interfaces (UIs) rather than just predict text.

Building Agentic AI requires different tools than building a chatbot.

At-a-GlanceThe Spark: The open-source project AutoGPT was the first viral moment where people realized, we can make the AI talk to itself until the job is done.