This episode of “Utilizing Tech” features Brad Shimmin of The Futurum Group, discussing the market emergence of Agentic AI.
Brad defines an agentic system by three core characteristics:
- autonomy,
- the ability to reason and plan,
- and the capacity to effectively utilize tools and information to take independent action.
He clarifies that agentic systems go beyond simple transactional processes, such as opening a fridge door or checking the weather, by exhibiting complex, multi-step decision-making and execution. For example, an agentic system could not only check the weather but also rebook a stadium seat if rain is predicted. This level of autonomy and intelligent action-taking is what distinguishes Agentic AI.
Agentic AI solutions are becoming productized and accessible, facilitated by tools like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol.
Key players include AI platform vendors and model makers such as Anthropic, Google (Gemini), and Microsoft (OpenAI on Azure), with agentic processes integrating across various business software providers.