# Agentic

Describes AI software that chooses and carries out steps towards a goal rather than following only a predetermined sequence.

Source: https://aecon.ai/glossary/agentic
Updated: 2026-09-07

## In practice

A system preparing a repair visit notices missing equipment details and chooses between checking records, asking for a photo or escalating.

## The distinction

Agentic describes how work proceeds. It does not mean fully autonomous, reliable by default or authorised to do anything it can technically access.

## One repair visit, three approaches

Imagine a repair business preparing tomorrow’s appointments. One booking is missing an equipment model number. These are constructed examples, not claims about a deployed AE service.

| Approach | What happens | Who selects the next step? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Human-operated | The coordinator checks previous visits and asks for a photo if the records are incomplete. An assistant could draft the message. | The coordinator |
| Fixed automation | An empty model-number field triggers the same approved information request. | The predefined rule |
| Agentic | The system checks earlier visits, notices whether records agree, then chooses another lookup, a photo request or an escalation. | The model, from permitted options |

The distinguishing feature is the choice in response to what the system encounters. Producing an email is not enough to establish that distinction: all three approaches could produce the same email.

## Choice and permission are separate

In this example, the system can read approved records and send an approved information request. It cannot diagnose a fault, order parts or promise a repair. Contradictory records go to the coordinator.

A system may have considerable freedom to investigate while requiring a person to approve a consequential action. That is a question of [autonomy and authority](/glossary/autonomy), not a contradiction in the word “agentic”.

## When flexibility earns its place

Compare preparation quality with the effort needed to set up, check and correct the system. If the same simple rule handles almost every booking, fixed automation may be sufficient. If the work is rare and ambiguous, a coordinator may resolve it more economically.

These are different ways to organise work, not stages every business must climb. No outside purchase is needed for this example to be agentic.

## Sources & context

- [Building effective agents](https://www.anthropic.com/engineering/building-effective-agents) — Erik S. and Barry Zhang, Anthropic, December 2024. The workflow–agent distinction used here; terminology varies across the field. Checked 2026-09-07.

## Related reading

- [AI agent](https://aecon.ai/glossary/ai-agent)
- [Automation](https://aecon.ai/glossary#automation)
- [Autonomy](https://aecon.ai/glossary/autonomy)
- [Workflow](https://aecon.ai/glossary#workflow)