World of AI, Generative Vs Agentic

1. Generative AI (GenAI):

Definition:

Generative AI refers to models that can create content text, images, code, music, video, etc. based on patterns learned from training data. Think of it as a very smart assistant that responds to prompts with creative or informative outputs.

Examples:

• ChatGPT writing an email or essay
• Midjourney generating an image
• GitHub Copilot writing code snippets

Generative AI responds to prompts but doesn’t take the initiative or make decisions autonomously.

2. Agentic AI (Agent-Based AI):

Definition:

Agentic AI refers to systems that can act autonomously toward a goal. These agents can plan, make decisions, take actions, and interact with tools or environments on their own.

Examples:

• AI agents that perform tasks like booking travel, managing emails, or handling customer support
• AutoGPT or BabyAGI style agents that decompose a goal into subtasks and execute them
• AI that can read a report, write a summary, send it by email, and schedule a meeting, all without needing user intervention for each step

Agentic AI is goal oriented, autonomous, and can act without continuous human input.

Which One Is Preferable?

It depends on the use case. Generative AI is preferable for creative content generation, brainstorming, ideation, and co-writing code or content. Whereas Customer service automation, Personal productivity assistant, and Autonomous business process execution, it is always better to use Agentic AI

• Generative AI is like a very intelligent content generator; you ask, and it answers.
• Agentic AI is like a virtual employee; it can understand goals, plan steps, and execute.

If you’re in strategic operations or business optimization, Agentic AI offers far more transformative potential, especially for process automation, decision support, and scaling execution without scaling headcount.