What’s the one question I should be asking you about Agentic AI - right now?

“What’s the one question I should be asking you about Agentic AI - right now?”

That’s what a CEO asked me after I spoke about AI at the SEP (Scottish Equity Partners) AGM.

Few things signal stronger leadership than a CEO showing curiosity and humility

…Especially when markets reward confidence in a time of AI uncertainty.

I was struck by how deeply many of the leaders SEP has invested in are thinking:
Not about what AI can do, but what it should do.

When they asked for my advice, I shared this:

“Always ask your team:
When do we need Agentic AI, and when do we really just need better automation?”

It’s a small, meaningful distinction:

Automation executes.
Agentic AI decides to execute.

If your workflows look the same on Monday and Friday, you likely just need better automation.

But if they depend on timing, judgment, or shifting context - that’s when Agentic systems start to matter.

There’s an operational balance:

Agentic systems are incredibly powerful, but they can hallucinate, and they’re expensive to scale.

Automation on the other hand is explainable, repeatable, and cheap to execute.

The irony?
Even the most advanced Agentic systems still rely on automation foundations to actually act.

So before chasing Agentic, ask:
Have you really scaled the automations that will make agency valuable?