Agentic Workflow
A multi-step process where an AI agent autonomously plans, executes, evaluates, and iterates on tasks, making decisions at each step rather than following a fixed pipeline.
Why It Matters
Agentic workflows handle complex, open-ended tasks that traditional automation cannot. They adapt to unexpected situations and make judgment calls.
Example
An agent tasked with 'research competitor pricing' that autonomously: searches websites, extracts pricing data, handles login walls, compiles a comparison spreadsheet, and summarizes findings.
Think of it like...
Like delegating a project to a capable employee — you give them the goal, and they figure out the steps, handle obstacles, and deliver the result.
Related Terms
Agentic AI
AI systems designed to operate with high autonomy — planning, executing, and adapting without constant human oversight. Agentic AI emphasizes independent action-taking to accomplish user goals.
AI Agent
An AI system that can autonomously plan, reason, and take actions to accomplish goals. Unlike simple chatbots, agents can use tools, make decisions, execute multi-step workflows, and adapt their approach based on results.
Planning
An AI agent's ability to break down complex goals into a sequence of steps and determine the best order of actions to accomplish a task. Planning involves reasoning about dependencies, priorities, and contingencies.
Tool Use
The ability of an AI model to interact with external tools, APIs, and systems to accomplish tasks beyond text generation. Tools extend the model's capabilities to include search, calculation, code execution, and more.
Orchestration
The coordination and management of multiple AI components, tools, and services to accomplish complex workflows. Orchestration handles routing, sequencing, error handling, and resource allocation.