Generative AI vs Agentic AI

Artificial Intelligence is moving fast, and two terms are showing up everywhere:

• Generative AI
• Agentic AI

They sound similar, but they serve very different purposes.

This article explains the difference in a simple, practical way
no buzzwords, no heavy theory.

🤖 What Is Generative AI?

Generative AI creates content.

You give it a prompt, and it generates an output such as text, images, or code.

Think of Generative AI as a very smart content creator.

It responds to your request, and then it stops.

Common examples

• ChatGPT writing text
• DALL·E generating images
• GitHub Copilot suggesting code
• AI summarising documents
• AI translating languages

Simple example

You ask:

Write a job description for a frontend developer.

Generative AI:

• Generates the text
• Returns the response
• Ends the interaction

✅ Task completed

❌ No follow-up

❌ No action taken

⚙️ What Is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI doesn’t just generate responses, it takes action.

Instead of only answering, it can:

• Understand a goal
• Break it into steps
• Use tools
• Make decisions
• Execute tasks
• Repeat until the goal is achieved

Think of Agentic AI as a digital worker.

Simple example

You say:

Find family-friendly events in London this weekend and email me the best five.

An Agentic AI might:

1. Search multiple event websites
2. Open and analyse pages
3. Extract dates, prices, and locations
4. Filter family-friendly events
5. Rank the best options
6. Send you an email
7. Store results for future use

This is not just AI responding — this is AI working toward a goal.

🔑 The Key Difference

Generative AI answers questions.
Agentic AI completes goals.

🧩 Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Generative AI	Agentic AI
Generates text or images	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Makes decisions	❌ No	✅ Yes
Uses tools or APIs	❌ No	✅ Yes
Executes actions	❌ No	✅ Yes
Works autonomously	❌ No	✅ Yes
Has goals	❌ No	✅ Yes

🧠 Everyday Analogy

Generative AI is like a skilled writer.

You ask a question, they write an answer, and the task ends.

Agentic AI is like a personal assistant.

You give a goal, they figure out how to achieve it, and they get it done.

👨‍💻 Why This Matters for Developers

If you’re building:

• Chatbots or writing tools → Generative AI
• Content generation platforms → Generative AI
• Automation systems → Agentic AI
• AI assistants or workers → Agentic AI
• End-to-end workflows → Agentic AI

Most real-world business value is shifting toward agentic systems.

🚀 Final Takeaway

• Generative AI creates content
• Agentic AI achieves goals
• One responds
• The other acts

If Generative AI is the brain,
Agentic AI is the brain plus hands.

🧠 One Last Question for You

We’ve moved very quickly from:

AI that generates answers
to
AI that takes action
The real question now is:

Where should AI stop acting on our behalf?

• Should AI agents be fully autonomous?
• Or should humans always stay in the loop?
• Where do you draw the line between assistant and decision-maker?

👇

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.