What is Agentic AI? And how might it transform work?

AI is moving at a rapid pace. It is quite remarkable to think that ChatGPT only became mainstream in 2023, and that by the end of 2024 a huge 72% of organisations were using AI in some way (McKinsey).  

Now, we are beginning to enter into the next phase of artificial intelligence, with the rise of agentic AI.  

Research firm Gartner forecasting that by 2028, agentic AI will autonomously make at least 15% of decisions at work. But what actually is Agentic AI, and how it might transform the modern workplace? 

What is Agentic AI? 

Agentic AI is the name given to artificial intelligence systems that can act autonomously – i.e without any human input – to achieve a specific goal. In simple terms, the agents can make decisions, take actions, or produce something for you. 

Imagine you had your own robot friend. It can think and make decisions on its own. Helping you with your work tasks, suggesting recipes or things to do, or even plan an agenda for your next city break. It learns from everything it sees and does, getting better and smarter over time. That’s what Agentic AI is like. Making choices and solving problems without needing someone to give it specific instructions.  

Let’s take a look at some of the ways agentic AI is being used in the workplace. 

Agentic AI Examples and Use Cases  

AI Agents can be used in a number of ways to help save time and increase efficiency. Let’s take a look at some potential examples and use cases: 

• Customer Support agents: These are used across various industries to answer customer queries and troubleshoot 

• Logistics agents: Can be used to help track stock levels, manage inventory, and create alerts 

• Healthcare agents: Could be used to help manage and book appointments, send automated reminders to patients, and track cancellations  

• HR agents: Used across various industries to help manage recruitment processes, streamline onboarding, and screen CVs
   

These AI agents are being used every single day to transform how organisations around the world operate. Let’s take a deeper look at the impact of agentic AI on the workplace. 

The Impact of Agentic AI on the Workplace 

• Increased Efficiency and Productivity: The use of Agentic AI can significantly boost efficiency and productivity, by automating tasks and allowing people to focus on other things. Let’s take customer service, for example. AI agents can take away the  manual tasks (like processing orders, troubleshooting, and managing complaints) without needing any input from a human.  
  
   
• Making Data-Driven Decisions: AI agents have a huge amount of power, with the ability to analyse vast quantities of data in a matter of seconds. Having this at your fingertips is invaluable in providing data and insights that help businesses make informed decisions quickly. Based on fact, not assumption.
   
• Enhancing and Encouraging Innovation: Agentic AI provides new tools and methods for problem-solving, developing new solutions, and encouraging creativity. It can come up with fresh approaches and ideas, while freeing people to focus on big-picture thinking and strategy. 
  
   
• Supporting Scalability: By handling ever-increasing workloads without the need for human intervention, AI agents can manage multiple tasks simultaneously, adapt to demands, and maintain consistent performance - even as the volume of work grows. Agentic AI ensures businesses can expand smoothly and respond quickly to new opportunities, without compromising quality or productivity.
  

Agentic AI - Final Thoughts

As we stand on the brink of a new era in artificial intelligence, the rise of agentic AI promises to revolutionise the workplace. In profound ways. Through autonomously handling tasks, making data-driven decisions, and fostering innovation.