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How does agentic artificial intelligence differ from generative artificial intelligence?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Artificial intelligence
artificial intelligence Image generated by the Stable Diffusion model from the prompt ā€œthe ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings,ā€ which is the definition of artificial intelligence in the EncyclopƦdia Britannica article on the subject. Stable Diffusion is trained on a large set of images paired with textual descriptions and uses natural language processing to generate an image.

The primary distinction between generative artificial intelligence and agentic artificial intelligence lies in their capacity for action beyond content creation.1

Generative AI

Generative AI is designed to produce new contentā€”such as text, images, audio, or codeā€”in response to a user prompt by learning from large databases of existing examples. Its role is typically to provide information, suggestions, or drafts that a human then reviews and acts upon.21

Agentic AI

Agentic AI refers to systems designed to operate with a degree of autonomy to achieve specific goals. Rather than just providing an answer, an AI agent can:31
* Plan: Determine the necessary steps to accomplish an objective.1
* Execute: Use tools, browsers, and applications to carry out those steps independently.1
* Adapt: Review results and adjust its approach if initial attempts fail.1

While these technologies are not mutually exclusiveā€”agentic systems often utilize generative models for decision-makingā€”the core difference is that agentic AI can perform tasks on your behalf, such as booking flights or managing finances, rather than simply suggesting how to do so.1