AI Agents vs. Agentic AI: A Conceptual Taxonomy, Applications and Challenges

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2505.10468v5
• Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2025 04:21:32 GMT
• Title: AI Agents vs. Agentic AI: A Conceptual Taxonomy, Applications and Challenges
• Authors: Ranjan Sapkota, Konstantinos I. Roumeliotis, Manoj Karkee,
• Abstract summary: This review critically distinguishes between AI Agents and Agentic AI, offering a structured, conceptual taxonomy, application mapping, and analysis of opportunities and challenges to clarify their divergent design philosophies and capabilities.
• Score: 3.7414278978078204
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: This review critically distinguishes between AI Agents and Agentic AI, offering a structured, conceptual taxonomy, application mapping, and analysis of opportunities and challenges to clarify their divergent design philosophies and capabilities. We begin by outlining the search strategy and foundational definitions, characterizing AI Agents as modular systems driven and enabled by LLMs and LIMs for task-specific automation. Generative AI is positioned as a precursor providing the foundation, with AI agents advancing through tool integration, prompt engineering, and reasoning enhancements. We then characterize Agentic AI systems, which, in contrast to AI Agents, represent a paradigm shift marked by multi-agent collaboration, dynamic task decomposition, persistent memory, and coordinated autonomy. Through a chronological evaluation of architectural evolution, operational mechanisms, interaction styles, and autonomy levels, we present a comparative analysis across both AI agents and agentic AI paradigms. Application domains enabled by AI Agents such as customer support, scheduling, and data summarization are then contrasted with Agentic AI deployments in research automation, robotic coordination, and medical decision support. We further examine unique challenges in each paradigm including hallucination, brittleness, emergent behavior, and coordination failure, and propose targeted solutions such as ReAct loops, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), automation coordination layers, and causal modeling. This work aims to provide a roadmap for developing robust, scalable, and explainable AI-driven systems.

Related papers

• Towards 6G Native-AI Edge Networks: A Semantic-Aware and Agentic Intelligence Paradigm [85.7583231789615]
  6G positions intelligence as a native network capability, transforming the design of radio access networks (RANs)<n>Within this vision, Semantic-native communication and agentic intelligence are expected to play central roles.<n>Agentic intelligence endows distributed RAN entities with goal-driven autonomy, reasoning, planning, and multi-agent collaboration.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-12-04T03:09:33Z)
• Agentic AI for Mobile Network RAN Management and Optimization [0.0]
  Agentic AI represents a new paradigm for automating complex systems by using Large AI Models (LAMs)<n>This paper contributes to ongoing research on Agentic AI in 5G and 6G networks by tracing its evolution from classical agents to Agentic AI.<n>Core design patterns-reflection, planning, tool use, and multi-agent collaboration-are then described to illustrate how intelligent behaviors are orchestrated.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-11-04T12:34:57Z)
• From Agentification to Self-Evolving Agentic AI for Wireless Networks: Concepts, Approaches, and Future Research Directions [70.72279728350763]
  Self-evolving agentic artificial intelligence (AI) offers a new paradigm for future wireless systems.<n>Unlike static AI models, self-evolving agents embed an autonomous evolution cycle that updates models, tools, and in response to environmental dynamics.<n>This paper presents a comprehensive overview of self-evolving agentic AI, highlighting its layered architecture, life cycle, and key techniques.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-10-07T05:45:25Z)
• A Comprehensive Review of AI Agents: Transforming Possibilities in Technology and Beyond [3.96715377510494]
  Review aims to guide the next generation of AI agent systems toward more robust, adaptable, and trustworthy autonomous intelligence.<n>We synthesize insights from cognitive science-inspired models, hierarchical reinforcement learning frameworks, and large language model-based reasoning.<n>We discuss the pressing ethical, safety, and interpretability concerns associated with deploying these agents in real-world scenarios.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-16T07:38:45Z)
• Agentic AI Frameworks: Architectures, Protocols, and Design Challenges [0.0]
  Large Language Models have ushered in a transformative paradigm in artificial intelligence, where intelligent agents exhibit goal-directed autonomy, contextual reasoning, and dynamic multi-agent coordination.<n>This paper provides a systematic review and comparative analysis of leading Agentic AI frameworks, including CrewAI, LangGraph, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel, Agno, Google ADK, and MetaGPT.<n>We identify key limitations, emerging trends, and open challenges in the field.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-13T19:16:18Z)
• A Comprehensive Survey of Self-Evolving AI Agents: A New Paradigm Bridging Foundation Models and Lifelong Agentic Systems [53.37728204835912]
  Most existing AI systems rely on manually crafted configurations that remain static after deployment.<n>Recent research has explored agent evolution techniques that aim to automatically enhance agent systems based on interaction data and environmental feedback.<n>This survey aims to provide researchers and practitioners with a systematic understanding of self-evolving AI agents.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-08-10T16:07:32Z)
• A Survey of Self-Evolving Agents: On Path to Artificial Super Intelligence [87.08051686357206]
  Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong capabilities but remain fundamentally static.<n>As LLMs are increasingly deployed in open-ended, interactive environments, this static nature has become a critical bottleneck.<n>This survey provides the first systematic and comprehensive review of self-evolving agents.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-28T17:59:05Z)
• Agentic Web: Weaving the Next Web with AI Agents [109.13815627467514]
  The emergence of AI agents powered by large language models (LLMs) marks a pivotal shift toward the Agentic Web.<n>In this paradigm, agents interact directly with one another to plan, coordinate, and execute complex tasks on behalf of users.<n>We present a structured framework for understanding and building the Agentic Web.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-28T17:58:12Z)
• Agentic AI in Product Management: A Co-Evolutionary Model [0.0]
  This study explores agentic AI's transformative role in product management.<n>It proposes a conceptual co-evolutionary framework to guide its integration across the product lifecycle.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-07-01T02:32:32Z)
• Deep Research Agents: A Systematic Examination And Roadmap [79.04813794804377]
  Deep Research (DR) agents are designed to tackle complex, multi-turn informational research tasks.<n>In this paper, we conduct a detailed analysis of the foundational technologies and architectural components that constitute DR agents.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-06-22T16:52:48Z)
• TRiSM for Agentic AI: A Review of Trust, Risk, and Security Management in LLM-based Agentic Multi-Agent Systems [2.462408812529728]
  This review presents a structured analysis of textbfTrust, Risk, and Security Management (TRiSM) in the context of LLM-based Agentic Multi-Agent Systems (AMAS)<n>We begin by examining the conceptual foundations of Agentic AI and highlight its architectural distinctions from traditional AI agents.<n>We then adapt and extend the AI TRiSM framework for Agentic AI, structured around four key pillars: Explainability, ModelOps, Security, Privacy and Governance.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-06-04T16:26:11Z)
• Distinguishing Autonomous AI Agents from Collaborative Agentic Systems: A Comprehensive Framework for Understanding Modern Intelligent Architectures [0.0]
  The emergence of large language models has catalyzed two distinct yet interconnected paradigms in artificial intelligence: standalone AI Agents and collaborative Agentic AI ecosystems.<n>This study establishes a definitive framework for distinguishing these architectures through systematic analysis of their operational principles, structural compositions, and deployment methodologies.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-06-02T08:52:23Z)
• Internet of Agents: Fundamentals, Applications, and Challenges [66.44234034282421]
  We introduce the Internet of Agents (IoA) as a foundational framework that enables seamless interconnection, dynamic discovery, and collaborative orchestration among heterogeneous agents at scale.<n>We analyze the key operational enablers of IoA, including capability notification and discovery, adaptive communication protocols, dynamic task matching, consensus and conflict-resolution mechanisms, and incentive models.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-05-12T02:04:37Z)
• From LLM Reasoning to Autonomous AI Agents: A Comprehensive Review [1.4929298667651645]
  We present a comparison of benchmarks developed between 2019 and 2025 that evaluate large language models and autonomous AI agents.<n>We propose a taxonomy of approximately 60 benchmarks that cover knowledge reasoning, mathematical problem-solving, code generation and software engineering, factual grounding and retrieval, domain-specific evaluations, multimodal and embodied tasks, task orchestration, and interactive assessments.<n>We present real-world applications of autonomous AI agents in materials science, biomedical research, academic ideation, software engineering, synthetic data generation, mathematical problem-solving, geographic information systems, multimedia, healthcare, and finance.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-04-28T11:08:22Z)
• Advances and Challenges in Foundation Agents: From Brain-Inspired Intelligence to Evolutionary, Collaborative, and Safe Systems [133.45145180645537]
  The advent of large language models (LLMs) has catalyzed a transformative shift in artificial intelligence.<n>As these agents increasingly drive AI research and practical applications, their design, evaluation, and continuous improvement present intricate, multifaceted challenges.<n>This survey provides a comprehensive overview, framing intelligent agents within a modular, brain-inspired architecture.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-03-31T18:00:29Z)
• Large Language Model Agent: A Survey on Methodology, Applications and Challenges [88.3032929492409]
  Large Language Model (LLM) agents, with goal-driven behaviors and dynamic adaptation capabilities, potentially represent a critical pathway toward artificial general intelligence.<n>This survey systematically deconstructs LLM agent systems through a methodology-centered taxonomy.<n>Our work provides a unified architectural perspective, examining how agents are constructed, how they collaborate, and how they evolve over time.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-03-27T12:50:17Z)
• Towards Agentic AI Networking in 6G: A Generative Foundation Model-as-Agent Approach [35.05793485239977]
  We propose AgentNet, a novel framework for supporting interaction, collaborative learning, and knowledge transfer among AI agents.<n>We consider two application scenarios, digital-twin-based industrial automation and metaverse-based infotainment system, to describe how to apply AgentNet.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-03-20T00:48:44Z)
• AI Agentic workflows and Enterprise APIs: Adapting API architectures for the age of AI agents [0.0]
  Generative AI has catalyzed the emergence of autonomous AI agents, presenting unprecedented challenges for enterprise computing infrastructures.<n>Current enterprise API architectures are predominantly designed for human-driven, predefined interaction patterns, rendering them ill-equipped to support intelligent agents' dynamic, goal-oriented behaviors.<n>This research systematically examines the architectural adaptations for enterprise APIs to support AI agentic effectively.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2025-01-22T05:55:16Z)
• Position Paper: Agent AI Towards a Holistic Intelligence [53.35971598180146]
  We emphasize developing Agent AI -- an embodied system that integrates large foundation models into agent actions. In this paper, we propose a novel large action model to achieve embodied intelligent behavior, the Agent Foundation Model.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2024-02-28T16:09:56Z)
• The Rise and Potential of Large Language Model Based Agents: A Survey [91.71061158000953]
  Large language models (LLMs) are regarded as potential sparks for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) We start by tracing the concept of agents from its philosophical origins to its development in AI, and explain why LLMs are suitable foundations for agents. We explore the extensive applications of LLM-based agents in three aspects: single-agent scenarios, multi-agent scenarios, and human-agent cooperation.
  arXiv  Detail & Related papers  (2023-09-14T17:12:03Z)

This list is automatically generated from the titles and abstracts of the papers in this site.

This site does not guarantee the quality of this site (including all information) and is not responsible for any consequences.