Defining agentic use cases versus automation

Are you ready for your new non-deterministic co-workers? Autonomous agents promise to help build, operate, and run software systems, but they can also be unpredictable, chaotic, and difficult to control without the right operating model. In this episode of Next Generation Architecture Playbook, Shweta Vohra and Joseph Stein explore what changes when software systems start planning, acting, and making decisions on their own. The conversation distinguishes truly agentic use cases from traditional automation and looks at how architects and engineers should think about boundaries, orchestration, and system design in this new environment. The episode also explores the practical realities organisations face early in adoption. These include emerging risks such as prompt injection and tool misuse, the growing need for stronger observability and explainability, and how human-in-the-loop models fit into autonomous workflows. Joseph shares lessons from building a centralised AI platform used across multiple teams and products, including the unexpected operational challenges that arise when internal adoption accelerates quickly. The discussion offers a grounded look at how enterprises can experiment with agentic systems while keeping control over risk, cost, and operational complexity. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/4lv6iGa Subscribe to the Software Architects’ Newsletter for your monthly guide to the essential news and experience from industry peers on emerging patterns and technologies: www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter Upcoming Events: QCon AI Boston 2026 (June 1-2, 2026) Learn how real teams are accelerating the entire software lifecycle with AI. boston.qcon.ai QCon San Francisco 2026 (November 16-20, 2026) qconsf.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly inspiration to drive innovation and build great teams from senior software leaders. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: - The InfoQ Podcast www.infoq.com/podcasts/ - Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture - Generally AI: www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: - Mastodon: techhub.social/@infoq - X: x.com/InfoQ?from=@ - LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ - Facebook: www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom# - Instagram: www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/?hl=en - Youtube: www.youtube.com/infoq - Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Learn and share the changes and innovations in professional software development. - Join a community of experts. - Increase your visibility. - Grow your career. www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq