Agentic AI: From Rules to Reasoning
NewAI agents have existed for decades, but generative AI has fundamentally changed what agents can do and how they are designed and built. Come and explore the evolution of AI agents across two major waves. First, learn the foundations of Agentic AI through agents built using rules, heuristics, and traditional machine learning, examining where these approaches excel and why they struggle with complexity, ambiguity, and scale. Then dive into the second wave of agents powered by generative AI and multimodal large language models. These modern agents can reason, plan, use tools, and interact with diverse data sources, enabling far more adaptive and autonomous behavior. Join Tariq King as he helps you build and experiment with AI agents trained for various tasks, and gain the experience needed to extend them via Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), reasoning, and emerging standards such as the Model Context Protocol (MCP). By the end of the session, you will understand how AI agents have evolved and be ready to deploy them to help you automate everything from individual tasks to entire workflows.
Tariq King is a recognized thought-leader in software quality engineering. He is currently the CEO and Head of Test IO, an EPAM company that specializes in crowdsourced and professional testing, development, and automation services. Tariq has over fifteen years' professional experience in the software industry, and has formerly held positions including VP of Product-Services, Chief Scientist, Head of Quality, Quality Engineering Director, Software Engineering Manager, and Principal Architect. He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science from Florida International University, and a B.S. in Computer Science from Florida Tech. He has published over 40 research articles in peer-reviewed IEEE and ACM journals, conferences, and workshops, and has written book chapters and technical reports for Springer, O'Reilly, IGI Global, and more. Tariq has been an international keynote speaker and trainer at leading software conferences in industry and academia, and serves on multiple conference boards and program committees. Outside of work, Tariq is an electric car enthusiast who enjoys playing video games and traveling the world with his wife and kids.