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Digital Themes

Agentic AI

What is agentic AI, and how does it work?

Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) represents a significant evolution in AI, characterized by its ability to autonomously solve complex, multi-step problems using real-time data. As enterprises seek innovative solutions to enhance productivity and drive growth, understanding the role of AI becomes crucial.Agentic AI integrates with large language models (LLMs) to enhance decision-making capabilities using advanced AI models to perform sophisticated reasoning and iterative planning. Agentic AI deploys autonomous agents to interact with enterprise data, execute tasks, and work together without human intervention.

Key differences between Agentic AI and Generative AI

  • Generative AI (genAI) focuses on creating new content based on existing data inputs. GenAI is used for content generation, image creation, and natural language processing (NLP).
  • Agentic AI is an autonomous problem-solver designed to perform autonomously by analyzing data and setting goals. It focuses on real-time decision-making and executing complex workflows.

What are the business benefits of Agentic AI?

Enterprises can benefit from using Agentic AI in the following ways:

  • Enhancing productivity through automation and streamlined workflows.
  • Improving decision-making capabilities using real-time data analytics.
  • Increasing adaptability and efficiency across various business functions.

Agentic AI uses span across industries, from customer service to healthcare and manufacturing:

  • Automating customer support through intelligent chatbots and virtual assistants.
  • Real-time issue resolution and customer interaction personalization.
  • Automating routine administrative healthcare tasks to free up medical staff.
  • Real-time patient data analysis to improve healthcare delivery.
  • Optimizing manufacturing production processes through autonomous monitoring systems.
  • Enhancing supply chain management with predictive analytics and automation.

What is an example of an AI agent?

Banking and financial services Healthcare
Erica by Bank of America is a virtual financial assistant that uses NLP and real-time data to respond to customer queries. This AI agent helps users manage bank transactions, pay bills, track spending, and provide financial advice. OneRemission is a health-focused AI chatbot that supports cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers. Initially developed by wellness experts and oncologists, it deploys a holistic approach to help users manage cancer-related symptoms and provide post-treatment recovery.

Key features include: 

  • Informative and educational content on lifestyle changes, nutrition, exercise, and emotional health for patients and cancer survivors.
  • Chat support allows users to converse with oncology-trained health professionals.
  • Tailored wellness plans catering to individual patient needs based on the cancer type and treatment stage.

What are some challenges and risks of implementing Agentic AI?

Despite its many advantages, Agentic AI also comes with challenges and risks, such as:

  • Data security and privacy concerns due to extensive data usage.
  • The complexity of integrating with existing IT infrastructure.
  • There is a need for robust governance frameworks to ensure ethical use.

Future and emerging Agentic AI trends to look out for:

  • The integration of synthetic data with real-world data for enhanced learning models.
  • The development of more sophisticated multi-agent systems for complex problem-solving.
  • The rise of role-based agents tailored to specific enterprise needs.

As businesses navigate the digital landscape, Agentic AI offers a transformative approach to problem-solving and deploying operational efficiency. By leveraging its capabilities, enterprises can focus on harnessing new avenues for innovation and growth.

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Frequently Asked Question's

AI becomes agentic when it can autonomously assess its environment, set goals, make decisions, and take actions to achieve those goals without human intervention and oversight. Agentic AI is self-driven and demonstrates adaptability with intention. 

Agentic AI can integrate with existing enterprise systems, but some limitations exist. Often, custom APIs, secure data pipelines, and compatibility with the current IT infrastructure are required, and integration success depends on the AI’s framework and the enterprise's digital readiness. 

By harnessing LLMs and NLPs, AI agents take on diverse forms and distinct capabilities:

  • Simple reflex agents operate by responding directly to stimuli based on predefined rules.
  • Model-based reflex agents utilize a model of the world to enhance decision-making.
  • Goal-based agents act to achieve specified goals.
  • Utility-based agents evaluate options based on utility functions to make decisions.
  • Learning agents adapt their performance through learning from past experiences. 

Multi-agent systems involve multiple interacting AI agents solving complex tasks. These agents can either cooperate or compete by sharing information, working in parallel, and negotiating. Multi-agent systems are ideal for simulations, autonomous environments, and distributed systems.

Key characteristics of Agentic AI include:

Autonomy: Operating without direct human intervention.

Adaptability: Learning from experiences to improve performance over time.

Goal-oriented: Designed to achieve specific objectives set by users or developers.

Learning-driven: Enhances performance through feedback.

Collaborative: Can work together with other agents and systems. 

Agentic AI autonomously sets and achieves goals, adapts behavior based on context, and practices real-time and iterative decision-making. Non-agentic AI performs tasks based on preprogrammed rules and requires human direction to make decisions or alter behaviors.

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