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Agent (agentic AI)

By Updated

An AI system that acts (browses, executes code, calls APIs, moves data or delegates to other agents) under delegated authority, rather than only producing text. Agents are the hardest object to govern because their behaviour is emergent and their actions have external effects.

Developed in
ch. 23, What makes an agent a governance object
ch. 11, Agentic systems
Chapters
ch. 01, Definition · ch. 11, AI Defined · ch. 23, AI Agents
Source
Defined by this Body of Knowledge: the section it is developed in is the source

Where it is used

9 chapters of the Body of Knowledge use the term. Each link opens the first section that does.

Agent (agentic AI): mentions per chapter21 mentions of the term across 9 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapterOther chapterCross-referenced, not named01 Definition: 2 mentions01 Definition202 Why Now: 2 mentions02 Why Now208 Regulatory Map: 3 mentions08 Regulatory Map310 Reading List: 5 mentions10 Reading List511 AI Defined014 Development: 2 mentions14 Development218 EU AI Act: 1 mention18 EU AI Act119 Privacy & AI: 1 mention19 Privacy & AI121 AI Laws Worldwide: 1 mention21 AI Laws Worldwide123 AI Agents: 4 mentions23 AI Agents4No mentions in the other 13 chaptersSource: the Body of Knowledgev0.5.0
Agent (agentic AI): mentions per chapter21 mentions of the term across 9 of the 23 chapters of the Body of Knowledge; the chapters the glossary cross-references are drawn solid.Cross-referenced chapterOther chapterCross-referenced, not named0001 Definition: 2 mentions20102 Why Now: 2 mentions202030405060708 Regulatory Map: 3 mentions30810 Reading List: 5 mentions51011121314 Development: 2 mentions21415161718 EU AI Act: 1 mention11819 Privacy & AI: 1 mention1192021 AI Laws Worldwide: 1 mention1212223 AI Agents: 4 mentions423Source: the Body of Knowledge v0.5.0
Mentions per chapter How often each chapter names the term, with the chapters the glossary cross-references drawn solid. The longest bar is where to read the term in use; bars spread across many chapters mark a term that runs through the discipline.
Mentions as a table
Mentions of Agent (agentic AI) per chapter
ChapterMentionsCross-referenced
00 Preface0No
01 Definition2Yes
02 Why Now2No
03 Values & Principles0No
04 The Stack0No
05 Patterns0No
06 The Role0No
07 Maturity Model0No
08 Regulatory Map3No
10 Reading List5No
11 AI Defined0Yes
12 Governance Program0No
13 Risk Management0No
14 Development2No
15 Deployment0No
16 Fairness & XAI0No
17 Incidents0No
18 EU AI Act1No
19 Privacy & AI1No
20 Existing Law0No
21 AI Laws Worldwide1No
22 Principles & Standards0No
23 AI Agents4Yes

Patterns that use this term

21 pattern pages use the term; the 10 that use it most:

Agent (agentic AI): related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedColour: stack layer of the pattern01 Govern-as-Code02 Inventory03 Evals04 Runtime Controls05 AssuranceAgent (agentic AI)Related terms (5)A2A (Agent2Agent protocol) · RelatedA2A (Agent2Agent protocol)AI system · RelatedAI systemGuardian agent · RelatedGuardian agentModel risk management · RelatedModel risk managementTrajectory (agent) · RelatedTrajectory (agent)Patterns using it most (6)Adversarial Red-Team Suite, 1 mention · Uses the termAdversarial Red-Team SuiteAgent Registry, 1 mention · Uses the termAgent RegistryContinuous Assurance Telemetry, 1 mention · Uses the termContinuous Assurance TelemetryEval Gate in CI, 1 mention · Uses the termEval Gate in CIPolicy Card, 1 mention · Uses the termPolicy CardRuntime Guardrail, 1 mention · Uses the termRuntime Guardrail
Agent (agentic AI): related terms and patternsThe term at the centre; related terms on solid edges, the terms it is contrasted with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer.RelatedColour: stack layer of the pattern01 Govern-as-Code02 Inventory03 Evals04 Runtime Controls05 AssuranceRelated terms (5)A2A (Agent2Agent protocol) · RelatedA2A (Agent2Agent protocol)AI system · RelatedAI systemGuardian agent · RelatedGuardian agentModel risk management · RelatedModel risk managementTrajectory (agent) · RelatedTrajectory (agent)Patterns using it most (6)Adversarial Red-Team Suite, 1 mention · Uses the termAdversarial Red-Team SuiteAgent Registry, 1 mention · Uses the termAgent RegistryContinuous Assurance Telemetry, 1 mention · Uses the termContinuous Assurance TelemetryEval Gate in CI, 1 mention · Uses the termEval Gate in CIPolicy Card, 1 mention · Uses the termPolicy CardRuntime Guardrail, 1 mention · Uses the termRuntime GuardrailAgent (agenticAI)
The term's neighbourhood Terms related to this one on solid edges, terms it is often confused with on dashed edges, and the patterns that use it most in the colour of their layer. Follow a dashed edge to check the distinction before you use either term.
Neighbourhood as a table
Neighbourhood of Agent (agentic AI)
FamilyItemRelation
Related termsA2A (Agent2Agent protocol)Related
Related termsAI systemRelated
Related termsGuardian agentRelated
Related termsModel risk managementRelated
Related termsTrajectory (agent)Related
Patterns using it mostAdversarial Red-Team Suite, 1 mentionUses the term
Patterns using it mostAgent Registry, 1 mentionUses the term
Patterns using it mostContinuous Assurance Telemetry, 1 mentionUses the term
Patterns using it mostEval Gate in CI, 1 mentionUses the term
Patterns using it mostPolicy Card, 1 mentionUses the term
Patterns using it mostRuntime Guardrail, 1 mentionUses the term
  • Trajectory (agent)

    The sequence of plans, tool calls and memory operations that led an agent to an effect.

  • A2A (Agent2Agent protocol)

    An open protocol for agents to hand tasks to one another, at version 1.0 since March 2026 and a Growth Stage project of the Linux Foundation-directed Agentic…

  • Model risk management

    The banking-supervision practice of validating models for conceptual soundness, monitoring and outcomes analysis under effective challenge.

  • Guardian agent

    An AI agent whose job is to supervise, check or constrain other agents at runtime; Gartner predicts guardian-agent technologies will account for at least 10…

  • AI system

    For governance, the object the AI definition brings into scope.

Sources

No external source: the term is coined or used in a specific sense by this Body of Knowledge, and the section linked under "Developed in" is its source.

Definitions of legal terms paraphrase the cited text, which governs. Dated statements are as of .

Cite this term

García Aibar, J. (2026). Agent (agentic AI). In AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis & Body of Knowledge (v0.5.0), Glossary. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22956197. https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/agent-agentic-ai. CC BY 4.0

BibTeX

@misc{aige2026agentagenticai,
  author  = {Jorge García Aibar},
  title   = {{Agent (agentic AI)}},
  note    = {Glossary, AI Governance Engineering: The Thesis \& Body of Knowledge, version 0.5.0},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.5281/zenodo.22956197},
  url     = {https://aigovernanceengineer.com/glossary/agent-agentic-ai}
}