Agentic
A system where the model decides which tools to call, and in what order, to complete a multi-step task — rather than answering one prompt at a time. Real deployments still need human-set boundaries, fallbacks, and stopping conditions.
We bought something that can click a few buttons by itself.
What's the first decision it makes on its own? Name a specific one.
Why this one gets stretched
The technical meaning has a clear edge to it: the model has to choose an action, run it, see the result, then decide the next step. But because it sounds like autonomy, anything with a bit of automation now gets called agentic. Quick test: if a person confirms every step, it's a workflow, not an agent.
Usually heard: Three days after the board asked whether we have an agentic strategy.
Related terms
The literal definitions aim to be accurate. The only column joking on this page is the meeting-room one.