The AI landscape is evolving fast, and 2025 is shaping up to be the year of Agentic AI—where AI moves beyond task automation to goal-driven decision-making. But here’s the challenge: 90% of enterprises want to embark on this journey, yet only one in three know where to start.
On the latest Next Frontiers of AI podcast with my colleague George Gilbert, we broke down the roadmap to Agentic AI adoption with a simple framework—the Ladder to Agentic AI:
🔹 Step 1: Build a Strong Foundation — AI must first understand its domain, requiring fine-tuned models, knowledge graphs, and real-world business context beyond LLMs.
🔹 Step 2: Infuse Decision Intelligence & Explainability — Businesses need AI that reasons, not just predicts. Causal AI, chain-of-thought reasoning, and counterfactual analysis will unlock trust and drive adoption.
🔹 Step 3: Develop Specialized AI Agents — Agents must be tailored for unique business goals—whether through custom development or off-the-shelf AI marketplaces.
🔹 Step 4: Scale with Agentic Networks — The real power lies in agent collaboration, creating swarm intelligence that dynamically adapts to business challenges.
🔹 Step 5: Close the Learning Loop — AI must continually learn from its environment, refining its decision-making and driving enterprise-wide optimization.
The path to Agentic AI is an incremental journey, not a rip-and-replace strategy. Companies that move early will outpace competitors in adaptability, efficiency, and innovation.
Are you ready to take the next step toward Agentic AI?
