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Session Summary

Agentic AI Applications and Implementation

Session with: 
Philip Rathle, Chief Technology Officer, Neo4j
JoAnn Stonier, Mastercard Fellow of Data & AI, Mastercard
Matt Barrington, Americas CTO & Global AI Activation Leader, EY
Franziska Bell,Chief Data, AI and Analytics Officer, Ford Motor Company
Pete Johnson, Field CTO, AI, MongoDB

The panel discussion focused on the evolving concept of agentic AI and its implications for enterprise technology. The conversation began with a definition of agentic AI as systems capable of perceiving environments, making decisions, and achieving goals autonomously. 

The participants distinguished it from advanced automation by its ability to handle complex, open-ended tasks and adapt to changing contexts. They debated the requirements for agentic AI, including reasoning, memory, and tool usage, and emphasized the importance of trustworthy outputs, particularly in high-stakes environments where precision and reliability are critical.

The AI Summit New York 2025

Session Summary

Agentic AI in Enterprise: Real World Applications and Strategic Implementation

Agentic AI systems are revolutionizing how organizations approach complex challenges, moving beyond simple automation to create intelligent systems capable of autonomous decision making and collaborative problem solving. Industry leaders are discovering that these advanced AI agents don't just process information—they take meaningful action, coordinate across multiple systems, and augment human capabilities in ways that transform entire business operations.

Real World Applications: Transforming Industries Through Agentic AI

The transformative potential of agentic AI is already evident across various industries, with pioneering organizations demonstrating how multi agent systems can solve previously intractable problems. These applications showcase the technology's ability to handle complexity, coordinate multiple data sources, and deliver tangible business value.

Ford's Multi Agent Systems for Supply Chain Risk Management

Ford's implementation of multi agent systems for supply chain management represents a breakthrough in how automotive manufacturers handle operational complexity. The global supply chain involves thousands of suppliers, countless components, and constant risk factors ranging from geopolitical events to natural disasters and production disruptions.

Ford's agentic AI system deploys multiple specialized agents that work collaboratively:

Key System Components:

  • Risk monitoring agents that continuously scan for potential supply chain disruptions.
  • Predictive agents that forecast impact scenarios across the supplier network.
  • Coordination agents that communicate between different supply chain systems.
  • Decision support agents that recommend mitigation strategies to human managers.

This multi agent approach enables Ford to move from reactive crisis management to proactive risk mitigation. Instead of discovering supply problems when they impact production, the system identifies potential issues weeks or months in advance, allowing procurement teams to develop alternative sourcing strategies and minimize disruptions.

AI in Code Reviews: Enhancing Developer Productivity and Satisfaction

The application of agentic AI in code reviews demonstrates how these systems can augment technical workflows while improving both productivity and job satisfaction. Traditional code review processes consume significant developer time, often creating bottlenecks in software development cycles and generating friction between team members.

Agentic AI Code Review Benefits:

  •  Automated detection of common coding errors and security vulnerabilities.
  • Consistency in applying coding standards across large development teams.
  • Faster feedback cycles that accelerate development velocity.
  • Reduced cognitive load on senior developers who previously handled all reviews.
  • Enhanced learning opportunities for junior developers through detailed AI feedback.

Importantly, these systems enhance productivity and developer satisfaction simultaneously. Developers appreciate AI handling routine review tasks, freeing them to focus on complex architectural decisions and creative problem solving. The technology doesn't replace human code reviewers but rather handles the mechanical aspects of review, allowing humans to concentrate on higher value activities like mentoring, design discussions, and strategic technical decisions.

Building Robust AI Infrastructure for Multi Agent Systems

The panelists emphasized that successful agentic AI implementation requires robust infrastructure capable of supporting complex interactions between multiple AI agents and diverse data sources. Organizations cannot simply deploy individual AI tools and expect transformative results—they need comprehensive systems that enable coordination, data sharing, and scalable operations.

Critical Infrastructure Requirements:

Data Integration:

  • Breaking down data silos that prevent agents from accessing necessary information.
  • Creating unified data layers that multiple agents can query efficiently.
  • Establishing real time data pipelines for time sensitive agent decisions.
  • Implementing data governance frameworks that maintain quality and compliance.

Multi Agent Coordination:

  • Communication protocols that enable agents to share information and coordinate actions.
  • Orchestration systems that manage complex workflows involving multiple agents.
  • Conflict resolution mechanisms when different agents recommend contradictory actions.
  • Performance monitoring that tracks both individual agent and system level effectiveness.

Organizations that invest in this robust AI infrastructure position themselves to scale agentic AI across multiple use cases rather than maintaining isolated pilot projects that never achieve enterprise impact.

Human AI Collaboration: Augmentation Over Replacement

A central theme throughout the discussion was the critical importance of human AI collaboration designed around augmentation rather than replacement. The panelists stressed that AI systems should augment human capabilities by handling tasks that machines do well—processing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns, executing routine procedures—while humans focus on activities requiring judgment, creativity, ethical reasoning, and strategic thinking.

This philosophy manifests in keeping humans in the loop for critical decision making. Even highly capable agentic AI systems should present recommendations and supporting analysis to human decision makers rather than taking irreversible actions autonomously. This approach provides several advantages:

  • Human oversight catches edge cases and unusual situations that AI systems may mishandle.
  • Domain expertise and contextual understanding that humans possess improves decision quality.
  • Accountability remains clear when humans make final decisions based on AI recommendations.
  • Trust builds gradually as humans observe AI performance over time.
  • Organizations avoid catastrophic failures from fully autonomous systems making critical errors.

The goal is creating partnerships where AI and humans each contribute their unique strengths, resulting in better outcomes than either could achieve independently.

Implementation Challenges: Frameworks, Scalability, and Experimentation

The discussion candidly addressed challenges of implementing agentic AI that organizations must navigate to achieve successful deployments. These challenges extend beyond technical considerations to encompass organizational, process, and cultural dimensions.

Comprehensive Framework Requirements:

  • Clear governance structures defining AI agent authorities and limitations.
  • Ethical guidelines ensuring AI systems align with organizational values.
  • Risk management protocols for identifying and mitigating potential AI failures.
  • Change management processes preparing teams for new AI augmented workflows.

Scalability Considerations:

  • Infrastructure capacity to support growing numbers of AI agents.
  • Cost management as AI usage expands across the organization.
  • Performance optimization to maintain response times at scale.
  • Knowledge transfer mechanisms to replicate successful pilots across departments.

The panelists emphasized the need for experimentation and iterative development rather than attempting perfect initial implementations. Organizations should start with focused use cases, learn from real world performance, refine their approaches based on feedback, and gradually expand to more complex applications. This iterative methodology reduces risk while building organizational capability and confidence in agentic AI systems.

Trust: The Foundation of Effective Agentic AI

The significance of trust emerged as a recurring theme throughout the session, encompassing both trust in the data powering AI systems and trust in the systems themselves. Without trust, organizations struggle to achieve meaningful AI adoption regardless of technical capabilities.

Building Data Trust:

  • Rigorous data quality processes ensuring accuracy and completeness.
  • Transparent data lineage showing where information originates.
  • Regular audits verifying data integrity and identifying issues.
  • Clear data governance establishing ownership and accountability.

Building System Trust:

  • Explainable AI that helps users understand how agents reach conclusions.
  • Consistent performance that meets or exceeds expectations over time.
  • Transparent limitations so users know when to question AI recommendations.
  • Responsive improvement processes that address identified problems quickly.

Organizations that prioritize trust building create environments where employees confidently leverage AI capabilities, leading to higher adoption rates and better business outcomes.

Democratizing Technical Skills Through AI

The panelists highlighted AI's role in democratizing access to technical skills, enabling non experts to accomplish tasks previously requiring specialized expertise. This democratization expands organizational capability by allowing more people to contribute to technical initiatives.

Democratization Examples:

  • Business analysts using AI tools to perform data analysis without coding skills.
  • Marketing professionals leveraging AI to create technical integrations.
  • Operations teams deploying AI agents to automate complex workflows.
  • Customer service representatives using AI to resolve technical issues.

This enabling of non experts to leverage AI tools effectively doesn't diminish the value of technical specialists but rather amplifies organizational capacity by distributing certain capabilities more broadly.

Strategic Recommendations for Organizations

The session concluded with actionable recommendations for organizations pursuing agentic AI initiatives:

Focus on Problem Solving:

  • Start with genuine business problems rather than technology exploration.
  • Ensure clear success metrics tied to business outcomes.
  • Prioritize use cases with measurable impact and reasonable complexity.

Build Trustworthy AI Systems:

Invest in data quality and governance from the beginning.

Implement explainability and transparency features.

Establish clear accountability for AI system outcomes.

Foster Innovation Culture:

  • Encourage experimentation with new AI capabilities.
  • Accept that some initiatives will fail and treat failures as learning opportunities.
  • Share successes and lessons learned across the organization.
  • Provide resources and support for teams exploring AI applications.

Organizations that embrace these principles position themselves to capture the full value of agentic AI while managing risks and building sustainable capabilities for the future.

Key Takeaways

The Importance of Trustworthy AI Outputs

The Importance of Trustworthy AI Outputs

The panel emphasized that agentic AI must produce reliable and trustworthy outputs, especially in high-stakes environments. Trust in AI systems is crucial for their acceptance and effectiveness. Ensuring accuracy and explainability is key to building confidence in AI decisions.

Human-AI Collaboration

Human-AI Collaboration

Participants highlighted the importance of AI systems working alongside humans to augment their capabilities. While AI can handle complex tasks, human oversight remains essential for critical decision-making. This symbiotic relationship enhances productivity and ensures quality outcomes.

Development

Experimentation and Iterative Development

The panel recommended a focus on experimentation and iterative development to refine AI applications. Organizations should encourage innovation and allow for low-stakes experimentation to learn and adapt quickly. This approach helps in developing robust and scalable AI systems.