Architecting agentic

apps
Building a standardized ecosystem for next-generation
AI tools
Synopsis
This whitepaper delves into the rapidly evolving landscape of agentic apps, a new breed of
applications designed to operate autonomously, leveraging AI and machine learning to perform
complex tasks with minimal human intervention. As these applications become more prevalent, a
standardized ecosystem of tools, protocols and data models becomes increasingly critical. This
whitepaper addresses the challenges associated with the fragmented nature of the current agentic
apps ecosystem and proposes solutions to enhance their effectiveness and interoperability.

Agentic apps, which include components like Large Language Models (LLMs), memory systems, goal
definition mechanisms and advanced planning processes, represent a significant shift in how digital
tasks are executed. However, without standardized tools and protocols, the potential of these apps
remains underutilized. This whitepaper explores the importance of establishing a common framework
for tool configuration, a unified data model and standardized communication protocols. By creating a
common runtime environment and ensuring interoperability within the agentic apps ecosystem and
beyond, we can unlock the full potential of these applications, driving greater efficiency, innovation
and value across industries.

In summary, this whitepaper provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities in
the Agentic apps ecosystem and offers practical solutions to ensure successful integration and wide-
spread adoption. By focusing on the standardization of tools and protocols, we aim to pave the way for
a more connected and effective digital landscape where agentic apps can truly thrive.

Understanding the agentic apps

The history of agentic apps can be traced back to the evolution of AI technologies that sought to
automate repetitive and logic-driven tasks. Initially, these applications focused on executing predefined
rules with limited flexibility. However, over the last few years, advancements in machine learning, large
language models (LLMs) and AI tools have transformed agentic apps into more autonomous systems
capable of learning from their environment, making decisions and performing complex tasks with
minimal human intervention. This evolution marks a shift from rule-based systems to highly dynamic,
self-adapting applications that are reshaping industries.
Agentic apps represent a new frontier in software design, where autonomous AI agents carry out
complex tasks with minimal human intervention. These apps are designed to work alongside humans,
augmenting their capabilities, automating routine processes and tackling challenges that would
otherwise require significant cognitive effort. As we move towards an era where AI becomes increasingly
embedded in everyday activities, agentic apps are poised to revolutionize work performance, driving
productivity and innovation across industries.

Agentic apps offer organizations significant benefits by automating complex workflows, reducing
operational costs and enhancing decision-making through real-time data insights.

They enable businesses to improve efficiency, scale processes seamlessly and foster innovation by
empowering AI-driven systems to operate with minimal human oversight, leading to faster and more
accurate outcomes.

Critical components of agentic apps

Large language models (LLMs) are the core Memory. Agentic apps are equipped with
engines of agentic apps, enabling them to memory systems that allow them to retain
understand and generate human-like text. These information over time, enabling them to learn
models have been trained on vast amounts of from past interactions, maintain context and
data, allowing them to process and respond to improve their performance through experience.
complex queries, generate creative content and This memory can be short-term (working
provide nuanced recommendations. memory) and long-term, influencing how the
agent makes decisions and interacts with users.
Tools. Beyond processing language, agentic Definition of goals. Goals are the driving force
apps leverage various external tools to perform behind an agentic app's actions. Users can
specialized tasks. These tools can range from predate these goals or dynamically generate
simple APIs to complex software systems and they them based on the agent's understanding of the
are crucial for enabling the app to interact with task. Defining clear, actionable goals is essential
different digital environments, gather data, and for guiding the agent's behaviour and ensuring it
execute commands. aligns with the desired outcomes.

Backstory. A backstory provides context and Task management. Agentic apps can manage
continuity to an agentic app's actions. It multiple tasks simultaneously, prioritizing them
encompasses the history of interactions, past based on importance, urgency and resource
decisions and the rationale behind previous availability. This involves breaking down complex
actions. This allows the agent to maintain tasks into manageable sub-tasks, sequencing
operations coherence and adapt strategies actions and allocating resources effectively.
based on accumulated experience.

Planning process

Reflection. Agentic apps regularly reflect on their performance, evaluating the success
of their actions against set goals. This process allows them to identify areas of
improvement and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Self-critique. Through self-critique, the agent assesses its decision-making process,

learns from mistakes and refines its approach to problem-solving.

Chain of thoughts. This component enables the agent to maintain a coherent and logical
flow of ideas, ensuring its actions are consistent and aligned with the overall goal.

Subgoal decomposition. Complex tasks are often broken down into smaller, more
manageable subgoals. This decomposition allows the agent to tackle each aspect of
a task systematically, improving efficiency and effectiveness.

Delegation. In multi-agent environments, agentic apps can delegate specific tasks

to other agents, leveraging their specialized capabilities to achieve the overall goal
more effectively.
Challenges in the agentic apps ecosystem
As we consider the challenges and opportunities facing the burgeoning agentic apps ecosystem,
it is instructive to draw parallels with past technological advancements. Just as the rise of Enterprise
Application Integration (EAI) in the 1990s brought about significant challenges in interoperability,
security and standardization, we now face similar hurdles with agentic apps. The lessons learned from
those earlier developments provide valuable insights into how we can navigate the complexities of this
new era. By understanding and addressing these challenges, we can create a robust foundation for the
successful integration and widespread adoption of agentic apps.

Challenges

Interoperability issues Security, ethical and regulatory considerations

Fragmented tooling: As agentic apps become more autonomous,

the potential security risks and ethical
The current landscape of agentic apps is
implications grow increasingly significant.
characterized by a lack of standardized tools,
These apps often have access to sensitive
making seamless communication between agents
data, decision-making power and the ability
and systems difficult. Integrating various agentic
to interact with various systems, raising
apps into existing digital ecosystems can be complex
concerns about unauthorized access, data
and inefficient without a common framework.
breaches and misuse of information. Ensuring
robust security protocols, encryption and
Compatibility barriers:
continuous monitoring are critical to
Different agentic apps may use distinct protocols, safeguarding against these threats.
data formats and communication methods, making
it challenging to achieve a cohesive multi-agent Beyond technical security, ethical
environment where tasks can be delegated and considerations are equally important.
managed effectively. AI-driven apps' decisions can have far-reaching
consequences, from bias in decision-making
to transparency in their actions. Organizations
must ensure that these systems are designed
to be fair, transparent and accountable, aligning
with ethical guidelines and public trust.
Scalability and resource management
Moreover, regulatory compliance is a pressing
issue as governments and industry bodies
Computational demands:
begin to set frameworks for AI usage. Agentic
As agentic apps become more sophisticated, they apps must comply with data protection laws
require significant computational resources to (such as GDPR) and sector-specific regulations,
process complex tasks, manage memory and interact especially in industries like healthcare and
with multiple tools. This can limit their scalability, finance, where data privacy and legal
especially in resource-constrained environments. compliance are paramount. Establishing a
balance between innovation, security, ethics
Efficient resource allocation: and regulatory adherence is crucial for
Managing and optimizing the use of resources, such successfully deploying agentic apps in
as processing power and memory, across multiple real-world scenarios.
agents is a challenge that needs to be addressed to
ensure the efficient operation of agentic apps at scale.
Proposal: Building a standardized tool
ecosystem for agentic apps
The future success of agentic apps hinges on creating a standardized tool ecosystem. As these
AI-driven applications continue to gain traction, the need for a unified framework becomes paramount.
Standardization is not just a technical necessity but a foundational requirement for ensuring that
agentic apps can operate effectively and deliver their full potential.

The importance of standardization

Without standardization, the diverse tools and By standardizing the data model, we can eliminate
components of the agentic apps ecosystem will the discrepancies that often arise from disparate
remain fragmented, leading to inefficiencies, data formats, thereby improving the accuracy
compatibility issues and limited interoperability. and efficiency of AI-driven tasks.
Standardized tools are essential for ensuring that
agentic apps can communicate seamlessly with Interoperability with semantics:
each other and integrate smoothly into existing
Moving beyond basic data exchange, the
digital infrastructures. Without this cohesion, the
proposal emphasizes the importance of semantic
autonomy and intelligence that make agentic
interoperability. This involves creating a common
apps powerful will be undermined by inconsistent
vocabulary and shared meanings, enabling agentic
performance and limited scalability.
apps to understand and contextualize information
across various domains. By incorporating semantic
A key aspect of enabling agentic apps to function
standards, agents can achieve a higher level of
effectively across diverse environments is
understanding and collaboration, reducing the
developing a standardized tool framework. This
risk of miscommunication and errors.
framework should include the following elements:
Configuring tools with a common manifest:
Standardized framework for tools
To streamline the deployment and operation of
agentic apps, tools must be configured using a
Standardizing communication protocols:
common manifest. This manifest serves as a
Effective communication is the backbone of blueprint, outlining how each tool should be set
any distributed system and agentic apps are no up and how it interacts with other components in
exception. Standardizing communication the ecosystem. By adhering to a common
protocols such as SOAP and REST ensures that configuration standard, developers can reduce
these apps can exchange information reliably and complexity, minimize errors, and ensure that tools
securely. These protocols provide a consistent are deployed consistently across different
framework for data transmission, enabling agentic environments. This approach enhances reliability
apps to interact with internal and external and accelerates the development and scaling
systems with minimal friction. By adopting of agentic apps.
standard protocols, we can enhance the entire
ecosystem's scalability, security and performance. Creating a common runtime environment:
Finally, establishing a common runtime
Establishing a common data model:
environment is essential for the seamless
A common data model enables consistent data execution of agentic apps. This environment
exchange between agentic apps and their provides a standardized platform for harmonizing
associated tools. This model defines the data's tools, protocols and data models. Creating a
structure, format and semantics, ensuring that unified runtime ensures that agentic apps can be
information can be accurately interpreted and deployed and managed efficiently across different
processed across different ecosystem infrastructures, reducing operational overhead
components. and enabling faster innovation.
Tool directory and certification

The proposal includes further creating a regulators to drive the creation and adoption
comprehensive tool directory to enhance agentic of standards. These groups will play a key role in
apps' reliability and security. This directory will identifying best practices, addressing emerging
serve as a centralized repository for tools vetted challenges and ensuring that the standards
and certified for use by agentic apps. remain relevant and effective as the
ecosystem evolves.
Tool discovery and lookup:
Open standards and APIs:
The directory will allow agents to discover
and look up tools based on their capabilities, Promoting the use of open standards and
compatibility and certification status. This APIs will encourage innovation and allow
ensures that agentic apps can easily access the seamless integration of new tools and
the tools they need to perform specific tasks technologies into the agentic apps' ecosystem.
while promoting trusted and reliable tools. This openness will foster competition, drive down
costs and spur the development of cutting-edge
Certification process: tools that can further enhance the capabilities of
Agentic apps.
A rigorous certification process will be
established to evaluate tools based on security,
Continuous improvement and feedback loops:
performance, interoperability and compliance
with standards. Only tools that meet these Finally, the proposal recommends establishing
criteria will be listed in the directory, providing continuous improvement processes, where
users with confidence in the quality and safety feedback from users and developers is actively
of the tools they integrate into their agentic apps. sought and incorporated into the standards.
This iterative approach will ensure that the
Security and auditability: framework remains responsive to the
ecosystem's needs, allowing it to adapt to
The directory will address security concerns by
new challenges and opportunities.
ensuring that only certified tools are used within
the agentic apps ecosystem. This approach
While the proposal to build a standardized tool
will minimize the risk of vulnerabilities and
ecosystem for agentic apps offers numerous
unauthorized access. Additionally, auditability
advantages—such as enhanced interoperability,
features will be built into the framework,
security and scalability—it also presents
allowing for the tracking and logging of tool
certain limitations. One challenge is achieving
usage, ensuring transparency and enabling the
consensus across diverse industries and
identification of potential security breaches.
technology providers, as different sectors may
have unique requirements and standards that
make uniform adoption difficult. Additionally, the
Facilitating ecosystem growth through
rapid pace of AI advancements may outpace the
collaboration and standardization
development of standardized protocols, causing
delays in implementation or creating gaps in
functionality. There are also concerns about
The proposal advocates for collaboration among
limiting innovation if strict standards hinder
industry stakeholders to develop and maintain
flexibility or create barriers for emerging tools
these standards to accelerate the adoption and
and technologies outside the standardized
evolution of agentic apps. This collaborative
framework. These limitations highlight the
approach will involve:
need for a balanced approach accommodating
structure and innovation.
Industry Consortia and Working Groups:
Establishing consortia and working groups
consisting of industry leaders, developers and
Promising initiatives development of a standardized ecosystem for
deploying and managing cloud-native applications,
which can also be applied to agentic app
OpenAI's API ecosystem: architectures.
OpenAI has developed an API that allows
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) for
developers to integrate advanced AI tools,
Web Standards:
including language models like GPT, into
various applications. This initiative provides a The W3C has long been a leader in creating web
standardized interface for accessing standards, including APIs, protocols and formats
sophisticated AI capabilities, promoting that support interoperability. This effort is important
interoperability and ease of use for businesses. as it provides a framework for agentic apps to
communicate and operate across diverse
OpenAI and Microsoft's partnership for platforms using standardized web protocols.
enterprise-grade AI:
Data exchange standards in Healthcare
Microsoft's integration of OpenAI models
(FHIR by HL7):
within the Azure platform offers a standardized,
scalable solution for enterprises. The In the healthcare industry, FHIR (Fast Healthcare
collaboration promotes a cohesive ecosystem Interoperability Resources) by HL7 has emerged as
for developing and deploying AI-driven a leading standard for exchanging healthcare data
applications, aligning with agentic apps' between systems. This standardization enables the
broader vision. seamless integration of agentic apps in healthcare
environments, ensuring interoperability and
Hugging Face transformers and dataset consistency in data handling.
libraries:
Financial services industry standards (ISO 20022):
Hugging Face provides an open platform that
standardizes access to various AI models and The ISO 20022 standard is used for electronic
datasets. The platform's interoperability data interchange between financial institutions.
across different languages and models Many banks and payment systems worldwide
allows developers to build agentic apps using have adopted this standardized messaging format,
a consistent toolset. Their efforts to create a allowing agentic apps in the financial services
shared space for developers to access,fine- sector to operate seamlessly within a
tune and deploy models can be a notable consistent ecosystem.
reference.
These initiatives provide concrete examples of how
Google's TensorFlow Hub: standardization is being pursued across industries
and technologies, supporting the development of
TensorFlow Hub is a library for reusable machine
cohesive ecosystems that foster innovation
learning modules, promoting standardization
and interoperability.
and interoperability in AI development. This
initiative allows developers to access a wide
array of pre-trained models and integrate
them seamlessly into their applications, which
supports the standardization of tools for
AI-driven applications like agentic apps.

Kubernetes and the Cloud Native Computing

Foundation (CNCF):

Kubernetes has become a de facto standard for

orchestrating containerized applications across
different cloud environments. Its open-source
nature and wide adoption have led to the
Conclusion
The evolution of agentic apps represents a significant leap forward in the capabilities
of AI-driven applications. However, to fully harness their potential, we must address
the challenges associated with a fragmented ecosystem. This whitepaper has outlined
the critical importance of building a standardized tool ecosystem to support agentic
apps' effective deployment and operation.

Standardization is essential for ensuring interoperability, scalability and reliability.

Without a unified framework, agentic apps risk being constrained by inconsistencies.
We can create a robust foundation that allows these applications to thrive by
focusing on standardizing tools, data models, communication protocols, and
runtime environments.

Interoperability enables seamless integration, ensuring that agentic apps can

operate efficiently regardless of the deployment environment. A common
configuration manifest, standardized data models and consistent communication
protocols will facilitate smoother operations.

In conclusion, the proposals in this whitepaper aim to create a unified and effective
ecosystem of agentic apps. By embracing standardization, we can unlock new levels
of digital productivity and innovation, positioning agentic apps as a transformative
force in the digital landscape.
hcltech.com