What makes a true AI agent? A guide to real agentic AI

The rise of AI agents speaks volumes about the future of automation in handling complex tasks, yet legal teams tread with caution. As these advanced tools promise greater efficiency and precision, the human element remains crucial for legal tasks that demand nuance and strategic judgment. This intersection of AI capability and human oversight continues to define the legal technology landscape. Are we ready to embrace this hybrid approach fully, or is there more groundwork to be laid? https://lnkd.in/ebHGRWqR

Too often, tools branded as “AI agents” are really just workflows with a shiny interface. Real agentic AI is different: it holds a goal, adapts when things change, chooses the right tools, respects policy, and actually completes the job, without constant babysitting. That’s the standard we’re building toward at #Flowsign: digital management, AI-driven contract generation, and e-signatures that work end-to-end, with auditability and policy-awareness built in. Great read on this from Artificial Lawyer 👉 https://lnkd.in/d6JPdx2i #AgenticAI #LegalTech #eSignature

Many “AI agents” I see today… aren’t agents at all. They’re workflows in disguise. I recently read an article by Jake Jones at Flank called "Stop Calling Workflows ‘Agents’ – A Guide to Real Agentic AI." He nailed something I’ve been talking about at work for months. Too many products (and internal pilots) are really assistants or workflows dressed up with the “agent” label. That might make for a nice demo, but it creates three problems: False confidence → leaders think we’re further ahead than we are. Eroded trust → when “agents” collapse, people conclude “AI doesn’t work.” Missed opportunity → we never invest in the guardrails that make true autonomy possible. Here’s how I now frame it (inspired by Jake, adapted to how we think about AI at work): Level 0 – Automated Workflow: Pre-baked, brittle sequences. Level 1 – AI Assistant: Drafts, summarizes, and classifies. Human drives. Level 2 – Human-in-the-Loop Agent: Can plan/act, but pauses for approval. Level 3 – Human-on-the-Loop Agent: Operates autonomously within guardrails; escalates only on exceptions. And if you’re not measuring things like: Unattended Completion Rate Obstacle Recovery Rate Mean Time to Human Policy Breach Rate …then you’re not talking about Agents. You’re talking about Assistants. And that’s okay — Assistants are valuable! But they’re not autonomous. Language matters. It shapes budgets, expectations, and adoption. If we become sloppy with the term “agent,” we risk undermining the trust necessary to scale AI. 👉 How is your org drawing the line between Assistants and Agents? 👉 Have you ever stopped an “Agent” project once you realized it was really just a software tool? (Link to the article: https://lnkd.in/g4ZBAnPg)

I seem to read everyday that we are either massively underestimating the ability of AI 'agents' and they will lead us to the next industrial revolution or they are over-hyped and doomed to fail in real-world production scenarios. I came across this article from Artificial Lawyer https://lnkd.in/e_vBMqwB that cuts through some of the noise around AI agents and their role in legal tech. While specific to legal tech, it's the same thing I've seen more broadly, and where we land will likely lie somewhere in between the hype and naysayers. While we are seeing the agentification of everything right now, with every workflow, every automation, every tool suddenly being an “agent.” But as the article rightly points out, real agentic AI involves planning, adapting, and interacting - autonomously and intelligently. That’s a far cry from a linear script or a static workflow. At Analytics Engines, we’re building with clarity in mind; developing: - Workflows that streamline complex processes, - Assistive AI that augments human decision-making, and - True agents that can reason, iterate, and deliver outcomes - not just outputs. As always, our goal isn’t to jump on the next cool technology trend, but find where organisations are truly seeing challenges and delivering real value while navigating real-world complexity. Let’s keep pushing for clarity, capability, and most importantly impact - beyond the buzzwords.

🤖 As #AI tools become part of everyday business, companies face new legal risks around data, IP, and compliance. Verrill attorneys Adam Nyhan and Tawny Alvarez share a practical checklist to help businesses assess and manage those risks: https://lnkd.in/gJGUdhGh

A client recently explained what's driving AI adoption in title work: "It's just going to make the work product faster, better and cheaper to the end consumer, which is just a win win across the board." She nailed it. 📌 Title professionals leveraging AI now execute comprehensive 30-year searches cost-effectively while concentrating on what matters—legal review and certification. The shift accelerates daily. Discover why title search AI tools are taking over in 2025 - https://bit.ly/4nd0dyi

"The critical difference between business partners and vendors is that a business partner assists you and supports you commercially and with resources and skills." 100% True. A vendor sells you software. A partner invests in your success—with resources, skills, and commercial support. And this difference is exactly why the most successful AI vendors today are building ecosystems of integration partners and Forward-Deployed Engineers. These are the people who bridge the messy “last mile” between the tech and the client. As Sam Altman recently noted, we’re entering the “fast fashion” phase of AI: product concepts will commoditize quickly. Features aren’t a moat anymore. 💡 The real moat? Customer success + stickiness. That’s where integration partners make or break adoption. The next stage of AI maturity won’t be about who ships the slickest demo—it’ll be about who creates an ecosystem that makes clients win with the product.

It is here. Records Management is ready to add wrinkles to your plans for AI. That's probably for the best as the use of GenAI needs to be thoughtfully considered. If I write a report for my company, it is a record and I could be asked to testify about its creation. If GenAI has a hand in creating that report, don't the prompts and the information feeding that response have a hand in that story? Time to start thinking ahead before the courts have us playing catch-up. https://lnkd.in/e_f-VH_M

As the Financial Times highlights, AI agents are showing strong potential in legal tech—accelerating processes like compliance checks and contract reviews. But challenges around accuracy and liability mean legal teams still insist on human oversight. This reflects a broader truth: in order for AI to scale across the enterprise, it must be both powerful and trustworthy. That’s why at Mindbreeze, we place accuracy, transparency, and context at the center of our AI-powered knowledge management solutions. By grounding responses in enterprise data, we ensure organizations can rely on AI to support critical decisions. Full article available here: https://lnkd.in/ebHGRWqR? #Mindbreeze #EnterpriseAI #DigitalTransformation

The market is flooded with "agentic AI" that's actually just fancy automation. Real agentic AI shows dynamic planning that changes approach based on intermediate results, environmental awareness that adapts to changing conditions, and goal persistence despite obstacles. Fake "agentic" warning signs include fixed if-then decision trees, static workflow sequences, no feedback loops, and human intervention required for edge cases. The litmus test: Can your "agent" handle a task it's never seen before using tools in ways you didn't explicitly program? If not, it's workflow automation—valuable, but not agentic. B2B tech has become particularly guilty of slapping 'agentic' on anything with an LLM and integrations. Understanding the difference helps you invest in truly transformative AI rather than rebranded automation. Source: https://lnkd.in/d6JPdx2i