Citi GPS, Citi’s thought leadership product, recently released a report that examines the transformative potential of agentic artificial intelligence (AI), a revolutionary advancement allowing AI systems to autonomously make decisions and perform tasks.
The report, titled ‘Agentic AI – Finance & the ‘Do It For Me’ Economy,’ explores how agentic AI is set to redefine various industries, particularly financial services, through enhanced efficiency, scalability, and personalization.
Agentic AI represents a shift towards what Citi GPS refers to as the ‘do it for me’ economy, where technology assumes responsibility for decision-making and task execution. Unlike generative AI, which depends on user prompts, agentic AI functions autonomously.
Citi GPS reports that in 2024, 37% of venture capital funding was allocated to AI startups, a figure expected to rise in 2025. The largest growth in VC deal activity was seen in autonomous agents and digital co-workers, followed by generative AI applications for customer support. This trend is anticipated to continue as big tech companies and venture capitalists focus on agentic AI moving forward.
"The IT department of every company is going to be the HR department of AI agents in the future," quotes Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, in the report. The ability of agentic AI to replicate and, in some scenarios, exceed human agency ushers in a wave of innovation that could revolutionize financial services.
Citi GPS identifies agentic AI as a pivotal development for the financial sector. Its applications range from virtual financial assistants offering customized investment advice to autonomous fraud detection systems. Additionally, compliance processes such as know your customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) checks can be streamlined, significantly reducing manual labor and error rates.
The report also highlights agentic contracts as a groundbreaking innovation. These programmable, enforceable agreements facilitate automation of compliance, payments, and regulatory monitoring, with the potential to transform asset finance and contract management.
Citi GPS notes a notable increase in venture capital interest, with funding for autonomous AI startups reaching unprecedented levels in 2024. Leading companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon are rapidly integrating agentic AI into their platforms, signaling a broader adoption trend anticipated in 2025.
Nevertheless, the report outlines challenges such as AI-driven fraud, deepfake scams, and data misuse. It notes that deepfake scams have surged over 2000% in the past three years, with banks and fintechs among the most targeted victims.