Understanding Agentic AI: The Future Beyond Generative Models
In his analysis, Jacques Bughin highlights the emergence of agentic AI, which surpasses generative AI (GenAI) by automating tasks rather than merely producing content. While GenAI has facilitated text and image generation, agentic AI focuses on coordinating complex workflows, fundamentally transforming industries, labor markets, and corporate structures. Current systems like Moveworks and ServiceNow exemplify single-agent operations, but the future lies in true multi-agent collaboration, seen in platforms like DingTalk and ByteDance in China.
Agentic AI’s implications are profound: it reduces coordination costs, allows for scalable automation, and displaces GenAI-native companies as task execution becomes the priority. Managerial roles will also evolve, shifting from task oversight to strategic workflow design. As organizations implement automated agents, the landscape of work will drastically change, emphasizing a hybrid model of human and AI collaboration. The age of agency is here, heralding a new economic paradigm requiring adaptability from both businesses and workers.
