Glossary: Cybersecurity Terms & Definitions

What is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI is a specialized branch of artificial intelligence that gives systems the power to interact with each other and even make decisions autonomously. Instead of merely following static rules, these “agents” perceive their environment, proactively seek out data to learn from, adapt their behavior in response, and where allowed, take action, all with minimal human involvement. This approach enables intelligent technologies to tackle challenges proactively and respond in real time towards optimal results in areas like digital services, robotics, and beyond. 

Understanding Agentic AI

Unlike conventional AI tools that focus on a single task—such as image recognition or language translation—agentic AI emphasizes ongoing learning and decision making. Traditional machine learning solutions often depend on human intervention to collect and collate information from different sources and models and to make decisions based on those results. By contrast, agentic AI, also called “agentic intelligence,” continuously refines its own logic and actions. This interconnected, dynamic, feedback-driven process allows these systems to interact more effectively with their surroundings, giving rise to a new level of “AI agency.”

What Is an Example of Agentic AI?

Agentic AI functions similarly to a travel agent organizing a trip based on specific preferences and requirements. For example, a user might indicate travel dates, a budget, a preferred airline, a desire for a hotel near the beach in a certain location, and a dinner reservation for two near the hotel at 7 pm on the day after arrival. 

The agentic AI would break this input into distinct tasks and delegate them to specialized large language models (LLMs). First, it would connect to an LLM associated with the chosen airline to identify suitable flights, factoring in budget constraints, loyalty status, and user preferences, such as selecting a red-eye flight. Based on the arrival time, the AI would determine the hotel reservation dates, recognizing that accommodation is only needed starting the day after a red-eye flight arrival. It would then connect to an AI model for the hotel vendor to book a room near the beach using stored payment information, ensuring sensitive data remains secure with the AI rather than the vendor. 

Next, the AI would use the booked hotel’s location to make dinner reservations nearby. It would account for the timeline established earlier—knowing the reservation should fall on day two of the trip due to the overnight flight—and complete the booking by interfacing with an AI model for the specific booking services.

This process showcases how agentic AI intelligently coordinates tasks across multiple domains to fulfill complex user requests efficiently.

Why It Matters

Agentic AI is transforming industries by moving beyond mere automation. Automated workflows typically handle repetitive tasks, but they fall short on end-to-end workflows and lack true autonomy. Agentic AI systems, on the other hand, can ingest new data, interpret changing conditions, and make strategic choices. In fast-paced environments—ranging from network management to financial services—this agility is essential for maintaining high performance, containing threats quickly, and capitalizing on market shifts. Businesses that embrace agentic AI can maximize operational efficiency, reduce overhead, and deliver more personalized user experiences.

Real-World Applications

  • Healthcare: Hospitals leverage agentic AI to monitor patient vitals and suggest timely interventions. By processing real-time health indicators, intelligent agents help doctors adjust treatment plans on the fly. 
  • Robotics: Autonomous machines use advanced decision-making algorithms to navigate factories, warehouses, or dangerous settings. Through constant interaction and learning, they can coordinate tasks, perform inspections, and detect maintenance issues without direct human command. 
  • Finance: Agentic AI algorithms execute trades, manage portfolios, and evaluate credit risks swiftly. Their capacity to interpret fluctuating data in milliseconds opens new possibilities for profitability and risk mitigation. 
  • Cybersecurity: With sophisticated threats on the rise, agentic intelligence can detect anomalies, isolate malicious activity, and respond instantly—well before security teams might manually react.

Overcoming Challenges

Despite its potential, agentic AI faces hurdles. Agent/LLM interoperability and access to legacy data sources require a common agreement on access controls and semantics. Decision making involves ethical considerations because these autonomous agents can make impactful decisions—sometimes involving sensitive data or critical outcomes. Additionally, the computational demands of running continuous learning processes are considerable, requiring robust infrastructures and careful resource management. Organizations must address these issues by establishing clear governance frameworks and investing in scalable systems that sustain real-time intelligence.

Future Outlook

As hardware costs decline and algorithms evolve, agentic AI adoption will only grow. Research into meta-learning and transfer learning—where AI systems learn to apply knowledge from one domain to another—promises more versatile, human-like intelligence. Moreover, setting industry guidelines and policies around accountability, privacy, and trust will continue to shape this technology’s responsible growth.

How Does F5 Enable Agentic AI?

F5 enables agentic AI by providing secure, high-performance connectivity between AI systems and the distributed data sources they need to access. F5’s integrated networking and security capabilities, such as policy-based access controls, encryption in transit, and advanced traffic management, create a robust foundation for agentic AI to operate efficiently and securely. By facilitating seamless access to data, F5 empowers organizations to unlock the full potential of agentic AI, driving intelligent decision-making and operational excellence.

To learn more about how F5 enables enterprise AI deployments, visit our AI webpage.