What is agentic AI?

Agentic AI is an approach to artificial intelligence that uses AI agents to achieve goals by planning, making decisions, taking actions, and adapting as work progresses. Rather than simply generating responses, agentic AI can complete multi-step workflows with minimal human intervention while involving people when review, approval, or professional judgment is required.

Unlike traditional chatbots powered by large language models (LLMs) that just generate content, agentic AI is designed to move work forward by taking action within a workflow.

Example: In accounting, agentic AI can review new financial activity, categorize routine transactions, reconcile accounts, prepare automated schedules, run quality control checks, and surface exceptions for accountant review. Digits uses agentic AI, powered by the Agentic General Ledger™ (AGL®), to automate routine accounting work while keeping accountants in control.

Agentic AI vs. AI-Enabled Software

AI-enabled software uses AI to assist with individual tasks, such as generating recommendations or answering questions. Agentic AI goes further by planning, taking action, and completing multi-step workflows. The most advanced accounting platforms combine AI-native architecture with agentic AI, allowing intelligent agents to operate directly within the ledger instead of as a separate layer.

Want a deeper comparison? Read AI-Enabled vs. AI-Native vs. Agentic Accounting Software: What's the Difference?

Related Terms: AI Agent, Agentic Accounting Software, Agentic Close, Agentic General Ledger™, AI Accounting, AI Bookkeeping, AI-native accounting, Continuous Close, Human in the Loop