Agentic AI, a new tech buzzword, involves AI systems making more autonomous decisions, raising concerns reminiscent of sci-fi apocalypse films. Picture: Google Gemini
Image: Google Gemini
The new buzzword in tech is definitely Agentic AI, but what exactly is it, and should we be worried?
Firstly, Agentic AI means handing over more control to an increasingly powerful AI application. It will be able to make more decisions on its own and, as a result, do more for the end user.
For example, if you want to book tickets to an event, Agentic AI will be able to handle almost everything. That means you can issue a prompt like: “Book me tickets to the Beyoncé concert next month.”
It will then find out exactly when the concert is, check with the user about seating preferences, and then confirm payment, either through biometrics or facial recognition software.
Apple’s Siri AI will be one of the latest entries into the Agentic AI market when it officially launches in September. It will join other leading Agentic AI platforms such as ChatGPT Operator, Claude (Anthropic), and Microsoft Copilot Studio.
To be clear, this shift in the way AI works could gradually change the way we use technology altogether.
As someone who grew up watching Terminator, which dealt with computers becoming self-aware and swiftly moving to wage war on, and essentially exterminate, humankind, this shift does not sit comfortably with me.
Of course, we are probably still at least a couple of decades away from AI being capable of building its own self-aware robots designed for nefarious purposes.
But the fact that we are on a path that could eventually lead there is, at the very least, cause for concern.