Marco Chou (Adjunct Faculty, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media) presented “Agentic AI” at the AI in Teaching Symposium, April 25, 2025.
What is Agentic AI?
While most people are still wrapping their heads around generative AI, Marco Chou is already preparing students and professionals for what comes next: Agentic AI — or what he calls the “next wave” of artificial intelligence.
Unlike generative AI models like ChatGPT, which respond to prompts and generate content, Agentic AI can make decisions, take actions, and adapt autonomously. These smart agents don’t just answer questions — they can perform tasks, automate workflows, and collaborate with humans, often in real time.
Chou explains that Agentic AI is defined by four key capabilities:
- Perception: Gathering and interpreting real-world data.
- Planning: Setting goals and developing strategies.
- Action: Executing tasks using integrated tools.
- Learning: Improving performance through experience.
With this architecture, Agentic AI systems function much like digital team members — capable, context-aware, and always on.
Why This Matters for Businesses — and Universities
Chou emphasizes that AI is not science fiction anymore. According to Gartner, Agentic AI is already one of the top strategic technology trends for 2025, with a prediction that 40% of enterprise tasks will be automated by agents by 2026. This shift has sweeping implications for how organizations function — from finance and healthcare to education and logistics.
In universities, this evolution mirrors the relationship between faculty and staff: one focused on research and teaching, the other on operations and management. Similarly, generative and agentic AI will complement each other — one creating, the other executing.
Real-World Use Cases
Agentic AI is already reshaping industries:
- Finance: Algorithmic trading, fraud detection, and robo-advisors.
- Healthcare: Personalized medicine and new drug discovery.
- Manufacturing: Predictive maintenance and supply chain optimization.
- Customer Service: Intelligent chatbots and automated workflows.
Even major platforms are adapting. Salesforce introduced “Agent Force” to integrate smart agents into their services. Microsoft and Google have rolled out their own agents for research, analytics, cybersecurity, and more. OpenAI and NVIDIA are simplifying agent development for businesses of all sizes.
Preparing for the Future: What You Can Do
Chou encourages students and professionals alike to begin thinking of AI not just as a tool, but as a collaborative partner:
- Identify repetitive tasks that could be automated.
- Learn how to integrate AI agents into your workflows.
- Start viewing AI as part of your team, not a threat to it.
For those in higher education, Chou recommends Salesforce’s playbook for AI transformation in universities, which offers strategies for adopting AI agents to improve learning outcomes, administration, and student engagement.
Final Thoughts
Marco Chou leaves us with a reminder that underscores the urgency of embracing this new reality:
“AI will not replace your job. But someone using AI will.”
As Agentic AI becomes more accessible and integrated into our daily lives, DePaul’s faculty are ensuring students are ready not just to keep up, but to lead.