What are AI Agents?
An AI agent is a system built to handle specific tasks to achieve a predefined goal. They are like the digital workers designed to carry out specific tasks within set boundaries. Many agents use LLMs at the core, but they stay focused on short tasks instead of pursuing large goals.
- Inputs: Data collected from sensors, APIs, and user queries.
- Processing: Applying logic, machine learning models, or rule-based algorithms.
- Actions: Delivering output, whether that’s a customer query or a product recommendation.
- Chatbot in customer service: Trained on FAQs, these agents can resolve queries like “ What’s my account balance? Or How to Log in to the portal?”
- Recommendation engines: Amazon’s “Customer also bought” feature is an agent working behind the scenes.
- Robotic process automation (RPA) bots: Automating repetitive back-office tasks like invoice processing.
What is Agentic AI?
- Autonomy: Operates with minimal human intervention, adjusting strategies based on real-time feedback.
- Goal-oriented planning: Break down complex objectives into smaller sub-goals and execute them subsequently.
- Adaptability: Learn from interactions and continuously improve decision-making.
- Collaboration: Works with humans or other AI systems to complete end-to-end workflows.
- Healthcare diagnosis: An agentic AI can not only analyze X-rays but also cross-reference patient history, suggest next diagnostic steps, and recommend treatment pathways.
- Financial trading systems: Instead of following fixed rules, Agentic AI adapts to market volatility, rebalances the portfolio, and explains its decisions.
- Supply chain optimization: Monitor disruptions, reroute shipments, and negotiate with suppliers dynamically.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
Difference Between AI Agents and Agentic AI
| Feature | AI Agents | Agentic AI |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Narrow, task-specific | Broad, goal-oriented |
| Autonomy | Limited, often needs human intervention | High operates independently |
| Learning capability | Mostly pre-trained or rule-based | Adaptive, learns continuously |
| Decision making | Follows predefined logic | Dynamic reasoning and planning |
| Use case | Chatbots, recommendation engines | Healthcare, logistics, automation, decision-making |
Which One Does Your Organization Need?
When to use AI Agents
- Need quick automation wins with minimal complexity
- Use cases are well-defined and repetitive
- Low-cost, low-risk AI implementation due to budget constraints
When to use Agentic AI
- If you’re managing complex, multi-step workflows that need adaptive intelligence.
- If you want systems that collaborate with humans instead of simply replacing manual tasks.
- If your organization requires scalable AI solutions that improve over time and handle uncertainty.
The Unique Roles
- An AI agent is like a waiter who follows instructions, takes orders, serves dishes, and processes payments.
- Agentic AI is like a restaurant manager that anticipates demand, assigning staff, ordering supplies, handling emergencies, and even suggesting a menu revamp.
Final Thoughts
AI agents and Agentic AI aren’t competitors; they’re different stages in the evolution of intelligent systems. AI agents are effective when it comes to handling specific, structured, and repetitive tasks, while agentic AI represents a leap towards autonomous, adaptive, and goal-oriented intelligence that can transform entire workflows.
At Trigma, we design and deploy cutting-edge AI solutions, from task-focused AI agents to enterprise-grade agentic AI systems. Whether you’re starting small or ready for large-scale transformation, our team helps you harness AI to achieve measurable business outcomes.
