Exploring Agentic AI: A Fun and Eye-Opening First Look

In this conversation, Richard and Vernon delve into the evolving landscape of AI, particularly focusing on the concept of agentic AI. They discuss personal updates, including their health and fitness journeys, before transitioning into a detailed exploration of AI technologies. Richard shares his recent experiences with AI training and projects, emphasizing the differences between traditional generative AI and agentic AI.

The discussion highlights the importance of goals, tasks, and tool awareness in AI, drawing parallels to software testing and the dynamics of generalists versus specialists in the tech industry. The conversation concludes with reflections on the implications of these technologies for the future. In this conversation, Vernon and Richard explore the evolving landscape of AI, particularly focusing on agentic AI and its implications for testing and quality assurance.

They discuss the importance of defining clear goals and expected outcomes for AI tasks, the need for quality characteristics in AI outputs, and the critical role of human oversight in AI decision-making. The conversation also touches on iterative learning, exploratory testing, and the future of AI in the testing domain, emphasizing the necessity for testers to adapt and enhance their skills in this rapidly changing environment.

Links to stuff we mentioned during the pod:

• 02:40 - Ben Kelly
  • Ben's LinkedIn
  • Ben's IMDb
• 06:38 - Martin Hynie's video explaining Agentic AI
  • Be sure to check out the resources he shared in the comments too. Goodness gracious 🎯
• 12:19 - CrewAI the tool Rich was experimenting with
• 13:27 - And for funsies we asked ChatGPT the same question
• 17:52 - Jason Arbon
  • Jason's website
  • Jason's LinkedIn
• 23:23 - Persona-based testing
• 24:11 - Context-driven testing
• 01:08:43 - Other folks & materials you can learn from
  • The deeplearning.ai website
  • Tariq King
    • Here's what Perplexity came up with!
    • His workshop: An Introduction to AI-Driven Test Automation
    • His presentation: Integrating GenAI for Testing into the Software Lifecycle
    • Tariq's LinkedIn
  • Melissa Eaden
    • Mel's newsletter
      • The issue called is "A Fable about GenAI" is excellent
    • Mel's LinkedIn
  • Mark Winteringham
    • Mark's website
    • Mark's GenAI book
    • Mark's LinkedIn
  • Martin Hynie
    • Martin's newsletter
      • The series "So You Just Got Assigned Your First GenAI Project" is golden
    • Martin's LinkedIn
      • Go to his profile. Find the "Activity" section. Use the "Videos" link/button to filter his posts. Watch the videos. Thank me later.
  • Bill Matthews
    • Bill's LinkedIn

00:00 - Intro
01:14 - Welcome
04:02 - Rich's adventures learning about AI
05:24 - Rich goes down the Agentic AI rabbit hole
07:00 - GenAI vs Agentic AI
12:45 - Understanding Agentic AI vs. Traditional AI
13:27 - What's the difference between the term "Agent" and "Agentic"?
15:20 - How would Rich describe or categorise a chatbot?
16:15 - What makes something agentic then?
17:52 - Jason helps Rich understand what to expect from his exploration
18:51 - What's the relationship between goals and tasks?
20:06 - Rich explains what makes this so interesting for him and got him excited
26:12 - Empowering Agents with the Right Tools
27:47 - Understanding Tasks vs. Goals
28:45 - Breaking Down Tasks for Efficiency
29:44 - How much agency do agents have?
31:38 - Task Descriptions and Expected Outcomes...