Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies like generative AI (Gen AI) and predictive AI have already revolutionised business operations, but agentic AI takes innovation further by enabling enterprises to work smarter and more efficiently.
As we move through 2025, agentic AI is redefining how enterprises innovate, operate and compete. According to Gartner’s 2025 Strategic Technology Trends, agentic AI is poised to be one of the most significant developments in the enterprise tech landscape, offering a critical advantage for businesses looking to stay ahead in a competitive, fast-moving world.
What is agentic AI and why does it matter?
Agentic AI is the next step in the evolution of AI. While traditional AI relies on pre-programmed tasks or predictions, agentic AI does not just forecast or generate content, it acts as a central brain that orchestrates, plans and executes tasks autonomously at scale.
It leverages available input and tools, learns from experience, integrates systems intelligently and adapts its approach in real time to achieve desired business goals with minimal human intervention.
This means businesses can automate complex processes that typically require coordination across multiple databases, systems, tools, teams and manual cross-checking.
Unlike Gen AI (which creates content based on patterns) or predictive AI (which forecasts future outcomes), agentic AI uses them as tools to act on these insights and executes decisions autonomously.
Growing demand for autonomy in enterprise operations
1. Enhanced operational efficiency: No more operational bottlenecks
Agentic AI removes operational bottlenecks by automating repetitive decision-making tasks and reducing reliance on human intervention.
Traditional processes involving compliance checks and approvals slow operations, but agentic AI accelerates workflows with precision. In banking, for example, it autonomously monitors transactions, detects fraud, blocks suspicious activity and notifies customers, ensuring faster risk responses and fewer delays.
2. Real-time decision-making for mission-critical tasks
Industries like healthcare, logistics and customer service rely on split-second decisions. Agentic AI enables instant, data-driven responses, ensuring smooth operations.
In healthcare, for instance, it manages patient care plans, schedules follow-ups and alerts providers about critical conditions. It can also streamline discharge processes by handling administrative tasks, generating summaries and ensuring proper post-care instructions to reduce readmissions and improve outcomes.
3. Scaleability and agility through continuous optimisation
As businesses grow, agility becomes crucial. Agentic AI ensures scaleability by adapting to changing conditions and integrating seamlessly with workflows.
Unlike traditional AI, which requires frequent manual adjustments, agentic AI continuously self-assesses, corrects errors and evolves to meet business objectives dynamically.
Just because agentic AI is smart doesn’t mean it works totally without humans. It can autonomously handle 80%-90% of regular tasks, while the remaining 10%-20% of exceptions still require human oversight and verification.
This human-in-the-loop approach is essential, not just for oversight but also for continuous learning. Every action or adjustment made by humans helps agentic AI refine its decision-making, improving its accuracy and adaptability over time.
Why enterprises can’t afford to miss out on agentic AI
With 2025 on the horizon, the competitive landscape for enterprises will only get more intense. Gartner also predicts that at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be made autonomously through agentic AI by 2028, up from 0% this year.
Agentic AI will be the key differentiator for organisations looking to maintain a strategic edge. As industries continue to face disruption, businesses that fail to adopt autonomous decision-making and real-time action will struggle to keep up.
Here’s why enterprises cannot afford to miss out on agentic AI: If your enterprise still heavily relies on human-driven processes to manage workflows, you are losing money. Inefficiencies are not just an inconvenience; they are significant cost drains that hurt profitability and growth for businesses in the long term.
● Labour costs: Manual processes such as document review, approval cycles and data entry require extensive human resources. In large organisations, these tasks can take up to 40%-50% of staff time. Hiring more staff or paying overtime to handle increased workload increases payroll expenses whereas agentic AI can automate them, reduce the reliance on human intervention while still maintaining or even improving output quality.
● Operational delays: Slow decision-making due to reliance on manual checks or human interventions results in extended processing times, from claims approvals to transaction verification. These delays increase customer frustration and may lead to lost business or missed opportunities.
● Error management and rework: Manual processes are prone to human error, which leads to rework, regulatory penalties or customer dissatisfaction. For example, errors in data entry or fraud detection can lead to costly financial losses and customer churn.
● High compliance and risk management costs: Regulatory compliance demands constant manual checks and audit trails, particularly in industries like banking, insurance and healthcare. This translates to additional legal and audit costs while increasing the risk of non-compliance fines.
Market disruption is happening at a pace never seen before. Consumer demands, technological advances and even global events push businesses to pivot and adapt quicker than ever.
Agentic AI ensures that businesses do not just react but stay ahead of the curve by continuously learning and adapting to new data and conditions. Enterprises that embrace this shift will not only survive but thrive in a rapidly changing environment. The question is no longer if you can afford to invest in AI, but can you afford not to?
In 2025, agentic AI will be the competitive edge enterprises need to lead in a world that is increasingly driven by data, automation and real-time decision-making.
From improving operational efficiency to enabling faster, smarter decision-making, agentic AI provides the intelligence and autonomy that businesses need to stay ahead in the next phase of the digital transformation journey.
Kew Yoke Ling is the executive director of KewMann, an artificial intelligence and big data analytics company that leverages behavioural science to predict and influence human behaviour. As published in The Edge Malaysia
