Agenticist – a new way to think about human-AI collaboration

  • I coined the term "agenticist" to describe this mindset shift. It's not about technical skills (I'm no ML expert), but about treating AI as a thinking partner rather than a productivity tool.

    But I'm curious what HN thinks. Are we just rebranding existing practices? Or is there something fundamentally different about approaching problems with AI as a collaborator from the start?

    Four things I've noticed agenticists do differently:

    - They ask "what's the agentic approach?" before defaulting to traditional solutions - They focus on emergence over control (letting conversations evolve rather than scripting everything) - They treat AI failures as thinking opportunities, not bugs - They bring AI into strategy discussions, not just execution

    The controversial part: I think this mindset matters more than knowing how to fine-tune models or write perfect prompts.

    What do you think – is "agenticist" a useful distinction, or just consultant BS?

    And if you work this way, what would you call it?

  • Would you consider yourself one?