AI explained: Your simple guide to chatbots, AGI, Agentic AI and what's next

Time of India

a day ago

Note: AI-generated image
The tech world is changing fast, and it's all thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI). We're seeing amazing breakthroughs, from chatbots that can chat like a human to phones that are getting incredibly smart. This shift is making us ask bigger questions. It's no longer just about "what can AI do right now?" but more about "what will AI become, and how will it affect our lives?"
First, we got used to helpful chatbots. Then, the idea of a "super smart" AI, called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), started taking over headlines. Companies like
Google
,
Microsoft
, and OpenAI are all working hard to make
AGI
a reality. But even before AGI gets here, the tech world is buzzing about
Agentic AI
.
With all these new terms and fast changes, it's easy for most of us who aren't deep in the tech world to feel a bit lost. If you're wondering what all this means for you, you're in the right place. In this simple guide, we'll answer your most important questions about the world of AI, helping you understand what's happening now and get ready for what's next.
What is AI and how it works?
In the simplest terms, AI is about making machines – whether it's smartphones or laptops – smart. It's a field of computer science that creates systems capable of performing tasks that usually require human intelligence. Think of it as teaching computers to "think" or "learn" in a way that mimics how humans do. This task can include understanding human language, recognising patterns and even learning from experience.
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It uses its training -- just like humans -- in achieving its goal which is to solve problems and make decisions. That brings us to our next query: "How is a machine trained to do tasks like humans?"
While AI might seem like magic, it works on a few core principles. Just like humans get their information from observing, reading, listening and other sources, AI systems utilise vast amounts of data, including text, images, sounds, numbers and more.
What are large language models (LLMs) and how are they trained?
As mentioned above, AI systems need to learn and for that, they utilise Large Language Models, or LLMs. They are highly advanced AI programmes specifically designed to understand, generate and interact with human language. Think of them as incredibly knowledgeable digital brains that specialise in certain fields.
LLMs are trained on enormous amounts of text data – billions and even trillions of words from books, articles, websites, conversations and more. This vast exposure allows them to learn the nuances of human language like grammar, context, facts and even different writing styles.
For example, an
LLM
is like a teacher that has a vast amount of knowledge and understands complex questions as well as can reason through them to provide relevant answers. The teacher provides the core knowledge and framework. Chatbots then utilise this "teacher" (the LLM) to interact with users. The chatbot is the "student" or "interface" that applies the teacher's lessons.
This means AI is really good at specific tasks, like playing chess or giving directions, but it can't do other things beyond its programmed scope.
How is AI helpful for people?
AI is getting deeply integrated into our daily lives, making things easier, faster and smarter. For example, it can be used in powering voice assistants that can answer questions in seconds, or in healthcare where doctors can ask AI to analyse medical images (like X-rays for early disease detection) in seconds and help patients in a more effective manner, or help in drug discovery.
It aims to make people efficient by allowing them to delegate some work to AI and helping them in focusing on major problems.
What is Agentic AI?
At its core,
Agentic
AI focuses on creating AI agents – intelligent software programmes that can gather information, process it for reasoning, execute the ideas by taking decisions and even learn and adapt by evaluating their outcomes.
For example, a chatbot is a script: "If a customer asks X, reply Y."
A Generative AI (LLM) is like a brilliant essay writer: "Give it a topic, and it'll write an essay."
Agentic AI is like a project manager: "My goal is to plan and execute a marketing campaign." It can then break down the goal, generate ideas, write emails, schedule meetings, analyse data and adjust its plan – all with minimal human oversight – Just like JARVIS in Iron Man and Avengers movies.
What is AGI?
AGI is a hypothetical form of AI that possesses the ability to understand, learn and apply knowledge across a wide range of intellectual tasks at a level comparable to, or surpassing, that of a human being. Think of AGI as a brilliant human polymath – someone who can master any subject, solve any problem and adapt to any challenge across various fields.
While AI agents are created to take up specific tasks in which they learn and execute, AGI will be like a '
Super AI Agent
' that virtually has all the information there is in this world and can solve problems on any subject.
Will AI take away our jobs and what people can do?
There is a straightforward answer by various tech CEOs and executives across the industry: Yes. AI will take away repetitive, predictable tasks and extensive data processing, such as data entry, routine customer service, assembly line operations, basic accounting and certain analytical roles.
While this means some existing positions may be displaced, AI will more broadly transform roles, augmenting human capabilities and shifting the focus towards tasks requiring creativity, critical thinking, emotional intelligence and strategic oversight. For example, AI/Machine Learning Engineers,
Data Scientists
, Prompt Engineers and more.
The last such revolution came with the internet and computers which did eat some jobs but created so many more roles for people. They can skill themselves by enrolling in new AI-centric courses to learn more about the booming technology to be better placed in the future.
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