Beyond Chatbots: The Rise of Agentic AI
Here's my perspective on where I think AI tools are heading
If you haven’t already heard of “agentic AI,” don’t worry — you’re not too far behind the AI hype train. The term has gained traction over the past few months, and according to Google Trends, interest in “agentic AI” has spiked since early 2025 worldwide. In simple terms, agentic AI refers to AI systems that can operate with greater autonomy, making decisions and executing tasks with minimal human intervention. While still evolving, these systems are a natural progression from today’s AI tools, pushing us toward more intelligent automation.
I won’t attempt to define it further — there are already plenty of authoritative sources that do that better than I can. Instead, I want to offer my perspective on where this is heading.
I’ve worked in tech across industries ranging from law libraries to ecommerce to gaming. I have foundational knowledge in predictive analytics from UCI, basic programming skills, and I currently work as a TPM for an ML team. While I’m conflating generative AI, AI tools, and agentic AI here (since they aren’t the same thing), one enables the other, creating a cascading effect.
For those of us with years of experience, there’s a tradeoff: we’re accustomed to doing things a certain way, making it harder to rethink work efficiencies. Meanwhile, younger professionals may have used ChatGPT and other LLMs as students in recent years since these tools became mainstream — and they now expect to continue using them at work. You no longer need to be an expert in applied/data science to use AI effectively. Across industries, there’s growing momentum to embed AI into internal processes — whether that’s using AI-powered coding assistants for rapid prototyping, automating meeting summaries, or deriving project statuses from multiple workstreams.
What Does This Mean for the Future?
AI Will Separate Those Who Adapt from Those Who Don’t. If you aren’t leveraging AI in your work, you risk falling behind. Those who do will 10x their output... eventually.
The Real Value Lies in Those Who Can Effectively Direct AI. Job security won’t come from simply using AI — it will come from knowing how to get the best results from it. Not all prompts are created equal, and understanding prompt engineering and optimizing outputs will be key to increasing productivity.
The Hype Will Peak, Then Settle into What Actually Works. This tech wave will bring a flood of adoption and vibe coders, followed by a reality check. The market will weed out ineffective applications, leaving only the most impactful uses of AI.
AI Will Act as an Extension of Ourselves. I’ll finally be able to “clone” myself — at least in the sense that an AI agent could review documents with my tone, highlight risks, and, of course, ask that evergreen TPM question: “By when?” But what I really want is for agentic AI to manifest in physical form and do the laundry, load the dishwasher, and cook dinner. I’ve been promised that multimodality will get us there, so we’ll see. 🙃
Data Quality Will Matter More Than Ever. AI is only as good as the data it’s trained on. Clean, structured documentation will be a major advantage in generating reliable AI-driven insights. While LLMs are improving at deciphering raw, unstructured notes, they aren’t perfect yet. For coding, AI can help generate documentation.
With Every Powerful Tool Comes Risks. AI’s accessibility means both good and bad applications will emerge. But that is another post for another day. Even for beneficial applications, guardrails will be necessary to prevent unintended behavior.
What Should You Do Next?
The AI landscape is shifting fast. If you want to stay ahead, here’s where to start:
✅ Learn prompt engineering — understanding how to structure prompts effectively will determine how much value you can extract from AI. This overview from Anthropic is where I started, fwiw.
✅ Explore how agentic AI can boost your internal productivity — what workflows can you automate or enhance?
✅ Rethink your approach to work — AI isn’t just a tool; it’s a shift in how we operate. The better you adapt, the more valuable you become.
What do you think? How are you using AI in your workflows?
This post was originally on LinkedIn.