The Future Is Agentic, But Only When Applied Correctly

InnovationThe Future Is Agentic, But Only When Applied CorrectlyByLarry Bradley,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)Jun 04, 2026, 08:00am EDTLarry Bradley is CEO & cofounder of SolasAI, an AI SaaS platform fixing model bias for Fortune 50 firms across finance, tech & healthcare. getty​You’ve no doubt heard the term "agentic AI" by now. It’s heralded as the next evolution of artificial intelligence—not just a tool to be used but a collaborator that works alongside you. Gartner researchers predict that by 2028, agentic AI will autonomously make 15% of all routine work decisions.​The potential of this technology could be described as revolutionary, but so are the risks. As agentic AI continues to evolve, mistakes can be costly, fast-moving and difficult to contain. Just ask the developer who lost his wife’s photos when he had Claude “organize” her computer, or the Meta security researcher who nuked her own inbox with OpenClaw.To truly harness this technology, we must understand both how it works and where it can (and can’t) be effectively implemented.​How Does Agentic AI Work?Think of a large language model (LLM) as a brain. Generative AI like ChatGPT or Microsoft’s Copilot can use that brain to respond to questions. Those answers may be in the form of text, images or video. But the whole process is reactive. You ask for a thing. It gives you a thing. That’s it.But agentic AI has not only a brain to respond to questions but metaphorical arms and legs to take action based on those responses. By referencing a set of rules, goals or guidelines, agentic AI can execute multistep workflows, adjusting its duties to achieve success. If GenAI is a production assistant, agentic AI is more like a deputy or an entire supporting team.Similar to humans, AI agents can be taught skills to perform certain tasks...