When my colleague Hayley Mortin and I set out to create this presentation on Agentic AI, we had one goal in mind: cut through the technical jargon and give people a practical framework they can actually use. After conversations with teams struggling to conceptualize use cases, we realized the biggest challenge for customers was understanding what types of business problems Agentic AI can solve.
From Trains to Self-Driving Cars: The Mental Shift
We all know Agentic AI is different, but how is it different? I love how Paul Chada at Doozer AI puts it: "Think of RPA as a train on tracks—it can only go where the tracks are laid. Agentic AI is more like a self-driving car—it can navigate different routes and situations adaptively."
True Agentic AI isn't just automation with a fancy name. It's fundamentally different:
- Autonomous - makes decisions without human micromanagement
- Goal-oriented - works toward specific objectives
- Adaptive - handles varied situations and learns from experience
- Interactive - engages with its environment and other systems
Not Every Problem Needs a Self-Driving Car
One of the biggest "aha" moments in our research came when we realized how many teams were conceptualizing use cases that were completely wrong for Agentic AI. It's like using a Ferrari to deliver mail—impressive but inefficient!
During our session, we played a little game called "Good or Bad AI Agent Use Case?" to help customers see some quick examples.
Good AI Agent Use Cases:
- ✅ IT Help Desk Triage - Complex decision trees, contextual problem-solving
- ✅ Customer Onboarding - Multi-step planning with long-term goals
Poor AI Agent Use Cases:
- ❌ Invoice Processing - Structured, rule-based processes
- ❌ Email Categorization - Simple classification tasks
Where Agentic AI Shines:
- Complex triaging scenarios
- Unstructured content creation
- Personalized support paths
- Knowledge navigation
The "Worker Persona" Revelation
The breakthrough moment for many teams comes when they stop thinking about AI agents as tools and start thinking about them as workers with specific roles, capabilities, and limitations.
This realization led us to develop our "AI Agent Persona Framework," which has eight key components:
- Agent Name - Give your AI a proper designation
- Purpose - What specific problem is this agent solving?
- Capabilities - What can this agent do well?
- Limitations - Where does this agent struggle or fall short?
- Required Resources - What does this agent need to do its job?
- Interactions - How will this agent communicate?
- Performance Indicators - How will we know if this agent is successful?
- Potential Risks - What could go wrong, and how will we address it?
An Example: Skynavigator
To show this framework in action, we created "Skynavigator," a flight booking agent:
Purpose:
• Simplify flight booking through personalized recommendations
• Handle booking logistics efficiently
• Provide real-time travel updates
Capabilities:
• Search flights based on preferences (destination, dates, budget)
• Handle bookings, cancellations, and itinerary changes
• Send notifications for flight status, check-in times, gate changes
Limitations:
• Limited by API reliability
• Lacks personalized travel advice beyond flights
Interactions:
• Text-based chat
• Voice commands
• Graphical dashboards
• Integration with smart assistants
Performance Indicators:
• User satisfaction ratings
• Booking completion rates
• Search accuracy
• Response speed
• Error rates
Your Turn to Build!
The most rewarding part of presenting this framework has been seeing what people create with it. From HR onboarding agents to complex supply chain optimizers, the variety of applications continues to amaze us!
If there's one thing I want you to take away, it's this: Agentic AI isn't just about technology—it's about reimagining work itself. By treating AI agents as worker personas with specific roles and capabilities, we can create systems that genuinely augment human potential rather than just automating what we already do.
So go ahead—what AI agent would transform your workday? The framework is yours to use!
