Agentic AI: A New Phase for Software Teams

Agentic AI is gaining traction across software teams for good reason. Defined by IBM as AI systems that can “perceive, reason, and act autonomously to achieve goals,” this new class of intelligent agents is beginning to move beyond lab settings and into real-world deployment.

These are not just copilots that autocomplete your code. Agentic AI tools can plan multi-step tasks, make context-based decisions, and iterate on outcomes with minimal human prompting. From code review to bug fixes and test generation, developers are starting to train agents as functional extensions of their teams, reducing cognitive load and accelerating delivery without removing control.

According to a 2025 McKinsey survey, 47% of C-suite leaders say their organisations are rolling out generative AI too slowly, with talent gaps a key blocker. But those already investing in agentic systems are reporting new efficiencies across delivery, tooling, and team structure Here's where it’s making an impact.

Where Agentic AI Fits in Software Development

While early adoption varies by maturity level and risk appetite, the most common use cases are emerging across four clear areas:

1. Automated Code Reviews & QA Loops

Trained agents are now capable of detecting bugs, flagging code smells, and running initial tests before a human even touches the PR. Tools like Sweep.dev are used to automate reviews across large codebases and suggest refactors.

Developers at scale-ups and enterprise orgs are using agents to reduce manual triage cycles — not to remove humans from the loop, but to prioritise where attention is most needed.

Relevant read: How Offensive and Defensive Security Teams Use AI Differently

2. Task Decomposition for Engineering Projects

Agentic systems can break down broad feature requests into structured sub-tasks. Rather than manually scoping everything from scratch, engineers can prompt agents to generate a rough plan, architecture suggestions, and required components; all editable but useful as a starting point.

3. Continuous Integration Support & Bug Triage

In CI/CD environments, agents are being trained to detect regressions, identify root causes, and even apply fixes within defined limits. These capabilities are being built into platforms like Replit's Code Agents and Meta's Code Llama 2 workflows. While still requiring supervision, these agents are treated as tireless junior engineers,  especially valuable in high-frequency release environments.

4. Low-Code & Tooling Extensions

Agents are also being used to enhance internal tooling. From generating boilerplate for CRUD apps to configuring dashboards from natural language prompts, they help teams reduce ticket volume and improve delivery speed.

Related blog: 10 Cybersecurity Best Practices for AI-Driven Workflows

What This Means for Tech Leaders

Agentic AI will not replace software engineers but it will change how they work, what they’re responsible for, and how teams are structured around them.

• Skills shift: Less time spent on boilerplate, more focus on abstraction, problem-framing, and design decisions.
• Tooling strategy: Integrating agents requires new architecture, infrastructure, and change management; it’s not plug-and-play.
• Talent planning: Instead of hiring more developers, you may need to re-skill your current team to manage and adapt agentic workflows.
• Governance: Expect new challenges in auditability, IP, and regulatory compliance especially as agent output becomes more autonomous.

As MIT Sloan points out in their 2025 report, organisations will need new models of management to work with "superhuman workforces" powered by agentic AI.

Final Thoughts

We’re entering a new era of software delivery, not because developers are being replaced, but because those who work with agents will outperform those who don’t.

The key questions:

• How do you equip your engineering teams to train and manage agents safely?
• How do you evolve your delivery model to make use of this shift?

Start the conversation now before your competitors ship faster without you.

Did you find this helpful? Subscribe to Talking Tech for monthly insights.

Want to explore how agentic AI fits into your hiring roadmap? Get in touch with Fruition Group