---
id: "prereq-agentic-vs-generative-ai-d6"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["¶1", "¶5"]
tags: ["ai-fundamentals"]
related: ["concept-judgment-infrastructure", "claim-agents-cannot-infer-context"]
reason: "Without understanding that agents take autonomous actions based on context, the urgency of codifying judgment is lost."
sources: ["agentic"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-agentic"
originDay: 6
articleStem: "hbr-new-27-teach-ai-your-decisions"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/teach-your-ai-how-you-make-decisions"
sourceTitle: "Teach Your AI How You Make Decisions"
---
# Understanding of Agentic vs. Generative AI

**Prerequisite:** Understanding the distinction between basic generative AI (which produces text/images on request) and agentic AI (which operates in ambiguous environments, makes real-time decisions, and executes multi-step workflows autonomously).

**Why it matters:** Without understanding that agents take autonomous actions based on context, the urgency of [[concept-codifying-judgment|codifying judgment]] is lost. The entire argument for [[concept-judgment-infrastructure]] — and the failure mode described in [[claim-agents-cannot-infer-context]] — only makes sense once you grasp that agents act, not just answer.