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In case you haven’t noticed, there’s been something taking over the world of AI (and showing no signs of stopping).
It’s called Agentic AI.
You know how computers usually wait for us to tell them what to do? You click, they listen. You type, they answer. Basically, they’re smart…but they don’t take initiative.
Well, that is, until now.
Agentic AI is like a computer with foresight. Instead of asking “What’s next?”, it starts saying “Don’t worry, I’ve got it”.
📈 Agentic AI: When Machines Stop Waiting And Start Doing
Most AI these days gives you a direct answer: you give it a question or a prompt, and it gives you an answer.
Agentic AI is more…adventurous. You don’t need to give it one specific prompt, but it can deduce and infer further ahead.
In simple terms, Agentic AI is about AI systems that can act autonomously to achieve goals. These systems can decide what needs to be done next, make a plan, and execute it — sometimes looping and improving along the way.
Think of it like this:
Traditional ML Model: “Give me a date, I’ll give you a prediction.”
Agentic AI: “Here’s what I think the next step should be — actually, I’ve already done it.”
It’s a shift from reactive AI (answers when asked) to proactive AI (figures out what’s needed and acts).
So basically, Agentic AI is kind of like every manager’s dream employee.
What Does “Agentic” Even Mean:
“Agentic” comes from the word agent, which just means “something that can take action to reach a goal”. It goes further than just taking instruction; it’s on a mission. So basically, it’s the James Bond of AI.
The name’s AI. Agentic AI.
How It Works (Explain With Legos!):
Agentic AI works with a 4-step process: Perceive → Plan → Act → Learn.
Picture building with LEGO blocks:
Step 1: The agent looks around (Perceive/gathering info).
Step 2: It figures out what to build (planning).
Step 3: It grabs the bricks and builds (acting).
Step 4: It steps back, checks if it’s stable, and says: “Cool — next time I’ll make it even better” (learning).
🔍 The Relationship Between ML and Agentic AI
Agentic AI doesn’t replace ML — it builds on top of it.
While machine learning provides the intelligence (pattern recognition, predictions), Agentic AI adds autonomy (decision-making, planning, and acting in the real world).
For example, let’s take a large language model (LLM), such as GPT-4 or Gemini. The LLM’s ability to reason, understand context, and generate code is all a result of machine learning.
Where Agentic AI comes in is that it gives the LLM a real purpose. For example, it tells the LLM: “I want you to book a flight.”, and then it gives it the tools to be able to do so.
Machine Learning: The discipline that teaches the model how to be smart.
Agentic AI: The discipline of creating complex software architectures that allow the smart model to act autonomously in the real world.
🧠 Reinforcement Learning Is Key
One of the most critical subsets of Machine Learning for making agents effective is Reinforcement Learning (RL). (one of my personal favorite topics in ML).
Reinforcement Learning is essentially learning through trial and error.
Planning and Correction: Agents need to learn from success and failure. RL is the ML paradigm specifically designed for this. It trains an Agent to maximize a long-term reward by interacting with an environment.
Examples: When an agent learns the best sequence of actions to complete a complex task (like debugging code or completing an online form), it's often an application of RL or techniques inspired by RL (like Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback, or RLHF).
Basically, it means fail until you succeed. Here’s an endearing example of Reinforcement Learning in action:
Can someone get Bark-GPT a doggy treat?
🤖 The Future: More Agents, Fewer Repetitive Tasks
Let’s be honest — some people are a little uneasy about AI right now. I can’t say I blame them…when technology starts doing things better and faster than we thought possible…where does that leave us?
But here’s what I believe: AI isn’t here to replace us — but to amplify us.
The real magic happens in the partnership between humans and agents. We describe the “what”, and they describe the “how”.
If we get this right, Agentic AI won’t feel like a competitor — it’ll feel like a teammate.
By the way, I’ve barely scratched the surface in this post. I’m considering a simple step-by-step guide to Agentic AI — something that explains how it works without all the jargon. If it’s something that would interest you, just reply yes.
Till next week!
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