WHAT ENGINEERS MEAN BY AGENTIC AI (AND WHY LEADERS HEAR SOMETHING ELSE)
Agentic AI has quickly become a buzzword across technical briefings, product roadmaps, and executive conversations, often without a shared understanding of what the term actually represents.
In this white paper, Agentic AI and Agents, Ricci Mulligan explores what agentic AI actually means in practice, and why precision in language is now a mission-critical capability. Drawing a clear distinction between action-centric, hybrid, and epistemic agentic systems, the paper explains why today’s systems optimize within fixed frames, even as leaders expect them to surface unknowns, challenge assumptions, and rethink problems.
By clarifying how agentic systems are designed, what they can and cannot do, and why expectations diverge, this paper provides a practical framework for aligning technical reality with executive decision-making. The result is clearer governance, better evaluation, and more responsible adoption of agentic AI across complex federal environments.
Author: Ricci Mulligan, Alyned, Former Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, OIT, Department of Veterans Affairs (Retired)