In simple terms, agentic AI refers to AI systems that can act autonomously to achieve a goal, not just respond to prompts.

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Instead of giving you an answer and stopping there, an agentic AI can:

• Plan a sequence of steps to complete a task.
• Choose which tools or applications to use.
• Execute actions—like sending emails, creating reports, or updating databases—on your behalf.

Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems—often called AI agents—that can operate with a degree of autonomy, meaning they can initiate actions, make decisions, and coordinate across multiple steps or tools to achieve a goal without requiring constant human input.

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Whereas traditional AI assistants are reactive—responding only to prompts—agentic AI can:

• Plan and execute multi-step tasks
• Integrate with other systems (e.g., SaaS apps, APIs, databases)
• Collaborate with other agents to divide and complete work
• Adapt in real time based on environmental feedback or changing conditions

In other words, agentic AI moves beyond being a “smart tool” and begins acting more like a digital colleague—one capable of taking initiative.

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Because of this autonomy, governance, oversight, and security become critical:

• The same capabilities that make agentic AI powerful also create new risks, such as over-permissioned integrations, unintended data exposure, regulatory non-compliance, and the possibility of harmful or manipulative actions.
• As a result, many organizations now emphasize human-in-the-loop oversight, least-privilege configurations, and continuous monitoring for agentic AI deployments.