What is an agentic workflow?
An agentic workflow is an automated process in which an AI agent reasons about the next step itself, calls tools or systems, and only stops once the goal is reached. In a classic workflow every step is fixed in advance; in an agentic workflow the goal is fixed and the agent decides the route.
Our page on agentic workflows covers this in more depth.
What is the difference between an agentic workflow and regular automation?
Regular automation follows a fixed script: if A, then B. An agentic workflow is given a goal and chooses which steps and tools are needed, also when the situation differs from the standard case.
That makes an agentic approach stronger with variation and exceptions, and a fixed script better for fully predictable work.
When do you choose an AI agent instead of a fixed workflow?
Choose an AI agent when input differs each time, judgement is required and there are too many exceptions to write out. If the process is stable and can be fully described in rules, a fixed workflow is simpler, cheaper to maintain and more predictable.
How do you keep an agentic workflow safe and auditable?
You bound what the agent may do: which tools it can call, which data it can see and which actions need human confirmation. On top of that you log every step and every tool call, so you can reconstruct afterwards why something happened.
With those boundaries and logging the agent stays an executor inside limits you set.