What is 'agentic AI' and why is 2026 its breakout year?

The answer

Agentic AI - artificial intelligence systems that don't just respond to prompts but autonomously plan, execute multi-step tasks, use tools, and make decisions - became the dominant AI paradigm in 2025-2026. Unlike chatbots that generate text, AI agents can browse the web, write and run code, manage calendars, book flights, and coordinate with other AI agents to complete complex workflows. IBM, Microsoft, and Google all declared 2026 the year multi-agent systems move into production. The shift means the bottleneck in building software is no longer writing code but creatively defining what to build. MIT Technology Review noted this will lead to a tenfold increase in people who can create applications, democratizing software development.