Agentic AI: How AI Is Growing Up (Just Like My Kids)

My kids love helping around the house. It’s heartwarming—and honestly, kind of magical watching them want to contribute. But let’s be honest—sometimes you just want to get dinner on the table quickly, not spend ten minutes narrating every step.

“Forks on the left. No, your other left.”

It’s sweet, but also a bit like programming a very charming, slightly clumsy robot. Helpful? Definitely. Efficient? Not so much.

For years, most AI was like parenting toddlers: You had to give one instruction at a time, in the right order, with no room for ambiguity.

• “Put a plate at every seat.”

• “Now add forks.”

• “Where are the napkins?”

(Missing step? Forget about it—napkins aren’t happening.)

For months, this was our routine—detailed instructions followed by well-intentioned but imperfect execution. Then gradually, something changed.

Now, when I say, “We’re having guests tonight,” they know exactly what to do. Plates go out. Cups get filled. They count the chairs and even fold the napkins into triangles—my daughter’s signature move. No checklist. No micromanaging. Just two kids who’ve learned the goal, and how to get there.

That’s the essence of agentic AI.

And right now, it’s not just happening in my kitchen—it’s happening across the startup landscape. We’re witnessing AI grow from a toddler (needing explicit instructions) to a teenager (testing boundaries) to something startlingly close to an adult—an AI that doesn’t just follow orders, but takes initiative.

When It just clicks!

AI has been growing up, too. In the early days, it needed painfully specific instructions to do even basic tasks. Then came voice assistants—Siri and Alexa—handy, but mostly reactive. Now? We’re seeing AI systems that can plan, reason, and act with a surprising amount of independence.

Startups are leading the charge. Tools like AutoGPT, BabyAGI, and Devin (an AI software engineer from Cognition) aren’t just completing tasks—they’re managing workflows, solving problems, and adjusting on the fly.

They don’t ask, “What should I do next?”

They ask, “Is the job done yet? If not, what’s missing?”

Agentic AI flips the script. It’s like parenting older kids who’ve done this before. You say, “Get the table ready,” and they figure it out. They understand the outcome, make a plan, and carry it through—with a few personal touches. They’re not waiting for step two. They’ve already started step six.

Why This Matters (Even Beyond Dinner)

That “set the table” moment? It scales.

At work:

Instead of saying, “Write 10 slides,” you say, “Prepare the Q3 update,” and it:

• Pulls fresh data

• Highlights what changed

• Drafts the deck

• Sends invites for the meeting

At home:

Instead of “Remind me to buy milk,” you say, “We’re low on groceries,” and it:

• Orders from your preferred store

• Schedules delivery after school pickup

• Adds chocolate, because… it’s Wednesday

Agentic AI doesn’t just assist—it anticipates.

What’s fascinating about this transition is how it mirrors human development. Just as children gradually move from needing step-by-step guidance to understanding the bigger picture, AI systems are making a similar leap. This progression isn’t just technical—it’s intuitive. The most advanced AI systems today aren’t just processing more data or running faster algorithms; they’re developing something that looks remarkably like common sense. They’re learning that meetings need preparation materials, that grocery deliveries should arrive when someone’s home, and that sometimes, especially on Wednesdays, chocolate is non-negotiable.

Beyond Automation to Amplification

The real promise here isn’t replacing human effort—it’s multiplying it. When my kids learned to set the table independently, I didn’t just save time. I gained a new kind of mental freedom. The cognitive load of managing every detail disappeared, leaving room for other things—like actually enjoying dinner conversation.

Similarly, agentic AI isn’t just about automation. It’s about creating space—space to think strategically rather than tactically, space to focus on the parts of work and life that genuinely need human touch.

Of course, more initiative means more surprises. Sometimes your kid sets the table with plastic cups instead of glasses. Sometimes your AI drafts an email that sounds like it’s auditioning for a mob movie. That’s why feedback and boundaries matter. Like parenting, agentic AI works best with gentle guardrails:

• “Let’s save the paper napkins for casual nights.”

• “Maybe don’t call my manager ‘buddy’ in that follow-up email.”

The goal isn’t control—it’s collaboration.

The learning dance

What makes this transition fascinating is the dance of trial and error required on both sides. Just as children learn through feedback—sometimes subtle (a raised eyebrow at the plastic cups) and sometimes direct (“we use cloth napkins when grandma visits”)—agentic systems improve through interaction.

The first time your AI assistant drafts that important client email with an inappropriately casual tone, you don’t need to revoke its privileges. You simply redirect: “Let’s try again with a more professional voice.” Over time, it learns your preferences, your style, your boundaries.

This creates a personalized relationship that goes beyond the one-size-fits-all approach of earlier AI. Your agentic assistant becomes uniquely yours—attuned to your specific needs, quirks, and communication patterns.

Perhaps the most profound shift is in our relationship with technology itself. Traditional command-based systems required constant vigilance—did I phrase that correctly? Did I forget a step? Will it understand what I want?

Agentic systems flip this dynamic. They ask us to trust their capabilities while remaining open to our guidance. It’s less about perfect instructions and more about clear intentions.

This doesn’t mean blind faith. It means developing a working relationship where expectations are communicated, mistakes are corrected without drama, and improvements happen organically through use.

In many ways, it’s the difference between micromanagement and leadership—setting clear goals and values, then letting capable hands find the path forward.

The big picture

We’re entering an era where AI feels less like a tool—and more like a teammate.

It plans. It adjusts. It learns. Not because you told it exactly what to do, but because you trusted it with the bigger picture. Kind of like the moment your kids stop asking where the forks go… and just set the table.

After decades of AI that needed step-by-step guidance, we’re finally building systems that can think ahead, adapt, and own the mission. It’s not just artificial intelligence anymore. It’s artificial initiative.

So as we enter this new era, perhaps the biggest adjustment isn’t technical at all—it’s learning when to direct and when to delegate, when to correct and when to let creativity flourish. Just like at the dinner table with growing children, sometimes the imperfect execution comes with unexpected delights that remind us why we’re letting go in the first place.

What’s your “set the table” moment? That one task you’d love to hand off to a system that just gets it? Let’s dream a little.

Bonus: Fun facts and thought experiment!

The term "agent" in AI dates back to the 1950s but became mainstream only in the past decade
Some agentic AI systems can now write their own code to solve new problems they haven't seen before
Early experiments show AI systems learning faster when they're allowed to "think out loud" and explain their reasoning process—just like kids!
The Pentagon's DARPA agency has been researching autonomous AI agents since 2018 with its SAIL-ON program (Science of Artificial Intelligence and Learning for Open-world Novelty)
One of the biggest challenges in creating agentic AI is teaching systems when to ask for help—exactly like raising children

TRY THIS AT HOME:

If you have kids, take a repetitive task you often explain in detail and switch it up. Instead of giving step-by-step instructions, just state the goal. For example: "The living room needs to be ready for guests" instead of a detailed cleaning checklist. See how they interpret and achieve the goal!

P.S. This is a 5-Part Series

What is Agentic AI
The Evolution of Agentic AI: How We Got Here
How Agentic AI Works: The 5-Step Loop and (Part 3.5 for the techies)
Why Agents Need Boundaries: The case for keeping humans in the loop
How You Can Use Agentic AI Today: Practical tools and workflows