Generative AI (Gen AI) and Agentic AI represent two distinct but often complementary approaches to artificial intelligence. While both use large language models (LLMs), the core difference lies in their function and autonomy.

Generative AI (Gen AI)

Gen AI is designed to create new content based on the data it was trained on. It excels at tasks that involve producing text, images, code, or music from a given prompt. Its primary function is to generate a single, static output.

• Function: Creation.
• Process: Takes a user prompt and generates a direct, one-shot response. It's reactive—it only acts when prompted.
• Examples: Writing an email or a poem. Generating an image from a text description. Summarizing a long document.

Think of Gen AI as a skilled artist or writer. You give it a creative brief, and it produces a complete piece of work. It doesn't plan its next steps or interact with the outside world; it just delivers the requested output.

Agentic AI

Agentic AI, or an AI agent, is designed to perform a task or achieve a goal by taking a series of actions autonomously. Instead of just generating a response, an agent breaks a complex problem into smaller steps, executes those steps, and can even correct its course based on feedback. It's proactive and goal-oriented.

• Function: Action and problem-solving.
• Process: Planning: Receives a goal and creates a plan to achieve it. Execution: Uses various tools (like a web browser, code interpreter, or API) to carry out the plan. Critique/Reflection: Evaluates its own progress and adjusts its plan if necessary. Looping: Continues this cycle until the goal is met.
• Examples: Booking a flight by searching for routes, checking prices, and filling out forms. Troubleshooting a software issue by analyzing logs, searching for solutions, and running diagnostic tests. Answering a question that requires multiple steps, like researching the latest stock market trends, analyzing the data, and generating a summary report.

Think of Agentic AI as a personal assistant or a project manager. You give it a high-level objective, and it figures out how to get it done, interacting with various systems along the way.

The Real Difference

The fundamental distinction boils down to autonomy and purpose.

Gen AI's purpose is to generate. It's a powerful tool for creation. Agentic AI's purpose is to act. It's a powerful tool for execution and problem-solving.

In many modern applications, Agentic AI uses Gen AI as a component. For example, an AI agent tasked with writing a report might use a Gen AI model to draft the summary paragraph. The agent provides the structure and purpose, while the Gen AI model handles the creative, text-generating part of the task.

Join Us at AAIS 2025 - 25–28 November 2025 • Vienna, Austria https://fllm-conference.org/2025/Workshops/AAIS2025/

IEEE-indexed

Topics include: Agentic AI, LLMs, multi-agent systems, safety & ethics, applications in healthcare, finance, robotics, and more.