Agentic AI - A Primer

What happens when artificial intelligence stops being a tool and starts becoming an autonomous partner? Agentic AI is poised to reshape industries, research, and society itself by combining decision-making autonomy, goal-directed learning, and self-reflection. This groundbreaking book offers the first comprehensive guide to the foundations, architectures, and future trajectories of agentic AI systems. From the philosophical roots of agency and autonomy to the technical building blocks of planning, reasoning, memory, and perception, the book bridges theory and practice with clarity and depth. You'll explore classical AI paradigms alongside cutting-edge approaches like LLM-based agents, hybrid cognitive architectures, and multi-agent systems-while also examining their implications for safety, ethics, and human-AI collaboration. Structured in five parts, the journey begins with conceptual foundations, builds through technical architectures, explores real-world applications, and culminates in forward-looking insights into the role of agentic AI in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and beyond. Along the way, vivid diagrams, practical examples, and domain-specific use cases make complex concepts accessible without sacrificing rigor. For AI researchers, engineers, business leaders, and policy makers alike, Agentic AI offers not only a roadmap for building intelligent autonomous systems but also a critical lens for evaluating their societal impact. Whether your goal is to design the next generation of adaptive agents, harness AI for transformative applications, or understand the challenges of aligning machine agency with human values, this book provides the foundation you need to navigate and shape the intelligent future.