Agentic AI - Architecture Implementation Summary V2

Introduction
Agentic AI is rapidly emerging as the next big leap in artificial intelligence, moving beyond basic
generative AI to create systems that are capable of autonomous decision-making, complex
multi-step workflows and learning from interactions. This briefing document will unpack the key
concepts, architecture, and applications of agentic AI, drawing from the multiple sources
provided, and highlighting their importance to the South African tech landscape.
1. What is Agentic AI?
​ Definition: Agentic AI refers to AI systems that exhibit agency, meaning they can
independently make decisions, take actions, solve complex problems and interact with
the world without constant human oversight. It's not just about responding; it’s about
learning, adapting and acting. Think of it like a smart worker that can handle a range of
tasks, and learn as it goes along.
​ As stated in one source: "Agentic AI is designed to mimic the cognitive abilities and
agency of autonomous agents. This approach empowers AI systems to exhibit
goal-directed behavior, learn from experience, and adapt to changing environments.”
​ Key Difference from Traditional AI: Unlike traditional AI which often relies on
predefined rules and inputs, agentic AI systems are more flexible and can handle
ambiguity and uncertainty through planning, reasoning, and learning. Stephen Kaufman
notes that, "Agentic AI is the next leap forward beyond traditional AI to systems that are
capable of handling complex, multi-step activities utilizing components called agents."
​ Core Principle: Agentic AI is designed to mimic the cognitive abilities of autonomous
agents, which allows it to learn, adapt, and achieve goals with minimal human
intervention.
2. Core Components of Agentic AI Systems
Agentic AI systems are built from several core components that interact with each other:
 ​ Agents: These are the fundamental building blocks, each a semi-autonomous entity with
a specific purpose. They have goals, environmental awareness and can communicate
with other agents. Agents can be simple or complex, and can have varying capabilities.
​ Perception Module: Responsible for gathering data from the environment through
sensors and digital inputs. This includes sensory input, feature extraction and object
recognition.
​ Cognitive Module: This module defines the agents goals, creates action plans, and
makes decisions based on the current situation and environmental constraints. It uses
goal representation, planning and decision-making functions.
​ Action Module: This component executes the selected actions, which can be physical
(e.g. motors) or virtual (e.g. network interfaces). It provides the actuators and handles
execution.
​ Learning Module: This enables the agent to adapt and improve performance over time
through methods such as reinforcement learning, supervised learning, and unsupervised
learning.
​ Shared Memory: This serves as a communication hub, allowing agents to share
information, plans, and goals for better collaboration.
3. How Agentic AI Works
Agentic AI systems function through a continuous cycle:
​ Perception: The agent receives input from its environment.
​ Goal Representation: The agent determines what it needs to achieve.
​ Planning: It develops a strategy to achieve these goals.
​ Decision Making: The agent evaluates available options and chooses the best course of
action.
​ Action Execution: It carries out the chosen action.
​ Learning: The agent updates its knowledge and improves performance based on
results, whether a success or a failure.
​ This process allows the system to learn, adapt, and refine its behaviour, becoming more
effective over time. This approach echoes how humans learn through experience,
making it a powerful approach to AI systems. One source illustrates this by saying: "Think
of it as watching a robot learn to walk: It starts by perceiving its surroundings, planning its
movements, executing them, and learning from its successes and failures."
4. Key Characteristics of Agentic AI
​ Autonomy: Operates independently without constant human intervention, increasing
efficiency and flexibility.
​ Reasoning: Makes decisions based on context, utilizing sophisticated logic and analysis.
​ Reinforced Learning: Continuously improves through feedback, allowing agents to
adapt to changing circumstances.
​ Language Understanding: Comprehends complex instructions and interacts effectively
using natural language.
​ Workflow Optimization: Executes complex multi-step processes efficiently, automating
tasks across various workflows.
​ Adaptability: Adjusts its behaviour in response to new data and environmental changes,
making it ideal for dynamic scenarios.
​ Collaboration: Agents can communicate and collaborate to achieve common goals,
making them more effective than a singular AI system.
5. Technologies Involved
Agentic AI systems rely on several cutting-edge technologies:
​ Machine Learning (ML): Provides the capability to learn from data. Includes
reinforcement, supervised, and unsupervised learning methods.
 ​ Deep Learning: Uses artificial neural networks for tasks like image and natural language
processing.
​ Computer Vision: Allows systems to interpret and understand visual data, which is
crucial for perception modules.
​ Natural Language Processing (NLP): Allows machines to understand, interpret, and
generate human language, a key aspect for interaction and instruction comprehension.
​ Large Language Models (LLMs): Used for tasks like text generation and language
translation. Also, it acts as the orchestrator for multiple agents, coordinating their work.
​ Vector Stores: Used to store and retrieve data points, making similarity searches and
recommendation systems efficient.
​ Cloud Services: Provides the infrastructure for deploying and managing agents and the
data they work with. This also includes services like Azure AI Search, Azure Kubernetes
Services and Azure Container Registry.
​ Messaging Services: Used for asynchronous communication between agents and
between agents and the orchestrator. Azure Service Bus is one example of a solution for
this purpose.
6. Agentic AI Architectures
There are a variety of architectural patterns employed in agentic AI systems:
​ Layered Approach: Organised into input, orchestration, data storage, output, and
service layers.
​ Hierarchical: A supervisor agent manages other agents.
​ Decentralized: Functionality is distributed across specialized agents.
​ Emergent: Complex behaviours arise from the interaction of simpler agents.
​ Blackboard Systems: Sharing information through a common knowledge base.
​ Advanced Architectures : Involve specific agents dedicated to planning, evaluation, tool
use, and continuous learning, with a focus on governance and ethical considerations.
7. Applications Across Industries (Relevance to South Africa)
Agentic AI has the potential to transform various sectors in South Africa:
​ Autonomous Vehicles: Real-time navigation and decision-making will be vital for
improved traffic management and logistics. Although autonomous vehicles may not be as
widespread in South Africa as in other parts of the world, it is vital to keep track of its
impact and potential.
​ Healthcare: Personalized patient care, diagnostics, and monitoring, helping bridge the
gap in healthcare access. AI Agents can be used to analyze medical data, assist with
diagnosis, recommend treatment plans and monitor patients' health in real-time.
​ Finance: Predictive analysis, fraud detection and automated trading will be crucial for
financial inclusion and efficiency.
​ Retail: Customer segmentation, inventory management, and dynamic pricing can
enhance competitiveness, particularly for local businesses.
​ Manufacturing: Improved 3D printing, digital twins, predictive maintenance, and quality
control will help drive growth and innovation, particularly for small and medium
enterprises (SMEs).
​ Agriculture: Optimising planting schedules, predicting yields, improving water
management and disease prevention. Agriculture is a key part of the South African
economy, and agentic AI can play a vital role in improving efficiency and sustainability.
​ Customer Service: Providing personalized assistance and resolving customer queries,
an area where improvements are always welcome.
​ Cybersecurity: Monitoring networks for threats and preventing attacks, which can help
to protect both public and private sector entities.
 ​ Supply Chain: Autonomous ordering and management can improve the speed and
responsiveness of the supply chain, reducing delays and costs.
8. Challenges in Implementing Agentic AI Systems
Despite its potential, Agentic AI poses significant challenges, some of which are particularly
important in the South African context:
​ Cost: The expense of running LLMs, especially with large datasets and complex tasks,
could be a barrier for many South African businesses. Stephen Kaufman notes that,
"There is no faster way to erode ROI than through unneeded token costs and extra
processing costs."
​ Complexity: Designing and implementing multi-agent systems requires a solid approach
to planning, and consideration of the communication and coordination of the different
parts of the system.
​ Data Quality: Securing and maintaining high-quality data will be crucial for ensuring
accuracy and performance. This is especially important in South Africa where data
accessibility and infrastructure may present unique obstacles.
​ Ethical Issues: Bias, safety, and regulatory compliance need to be carefully considered.
There is a unique need to carefully consider ethical considerations within the diverse
South African context.
​ Monitoring and Control: There needs to be end to end monitoring and
human-in-the-loop to keep track of what the AI is doing and the results that it is
producing, and also to override or shut down a system if necessary.
​ Code Generation: Ensuring the reliability and security of code generated by LLMs can
be difficult and require continuous testing, debugging and maintenance.
9. Future Directions
Agentic AI is a rapidly evolving field with several key trends:
​ More Adaptive, Reliable and Human-Centric Systems: The development of more
adaptable and human-centric AI systems is a priority, to ensure both safety and
efficiency.
​ Advanced Multi-Agent Frameworks: The use of advanced multi-agent frameworks will
enable dynamic decision-making and integration into diverse ecosystems.
​ Integration of Partnership Models: Incorporating models from external systems will
broaden overall capabilities.
​ Continued development There will continue to be a release of more agents, tools and
development frameworks.
10. Case Study Example
One source presents a compelling case study that outlines the key considerations to be made
when creating an agentic system:
​ Problem: Creating test data to test an application with varied numerical and analytical
errors.
​ Initial Approach (Failed): Using agents to directly output test records via LLMs which
resulted in high costs.
​ New Approach (Successful): Using agents to generate Python code, which testers
could run separately. This dramatically reduced costs and provided more control over file
size and error generation, and included code creation, code analyzer and test agents,
with a planner coordinating the process.
​ Key Takeaways: Emphasized the need to re-evaluate designs, pay attention to
non-functional requirements like cost and using code generation to create flexible
solutions.
11. Accenture "Hive Mind" Analogy
Accenture highlights that the agentic architecture resembles a beehive, where each agent has a
unique role while working towards a common goal. This approach promotes collaboration and
dynamic behaviour, enabling complex task management. They also state that AI agents are not
meant to work alone. Similar to how bees need a hive to produce honey, AI Agents need a
system to allow them to tackle complex tasks.
Conclusion
Agentic AI has the potential to revolutionize how AI systems are developed and used. By
understanding these core components and principles, South African tech professionals can
leverage this powerful technology for growth and innovation. While challenges exist, ongoing
research and development promise more robust and adaptable AI solutions.
It’s essential that companies embrace these advancements, but also consider the various
non-functional requirements, ethics and costs involved, so that the implementation is sustainable
and beneficial. This will enable South Africa to be competitive in the evolving AI landscape.
I hope this briefing document provides a comprehensive overview of Agentic AI, keeping the
South African context in mind. Let me know if you need more information or further analysis.