Artificial intelligence in the workplace has traditionally been reactive. You ask, it answers. You upload data, it processes. Useful, but limited. The next wave—agentic AI—is different. Instead of waiting for prompts, agentic systems act as decision-makers and executors. They understand goals, plan steps, and carry them out across systems.

What is Agentic AI?

Agentic AI refers to AI systems that don’t just provide insights but take on the role of an agent—capable of:

• Interpreting organizational goals.
  
• Planning workflows or processes around those goals.
  
• Executing tasks proactively.
  
• Adapting as conditions or inputs change.

This leap means less manual setup and oversight. Instead of building every step yourself, you define the outcome, and the AI builds and runs the playbook.

Why It Matters for HR and People Teams

Few areas of business involve as many repeatable yet high-stakes processes as HR. Onboarding, compliance, recognition, and career development all require careful timing and coordination across people and departments. Historically, HR leaders have had to manually:

• Create checklists and timelines.
  
• Nudge managers, buddies, and IT teams.
  
• Send reminders and collect feedback.

Agentic AI reduces that burden by building, sequencing, and automating these programs while leaving humans to refine and add the personal touches that matter.

How Donut Is Applying Agentic AI to Onboarding

Onboarding is often the first real experience new hires have with a company’s culture. When it’s done well, employees are more likely to stay. In fact, 82% of employers with a strong onboarding process see improved retention. But when it’s done poorly, it leaves lasting gaps.

That’s why Donut introduced the AI Onboarding Agent—a practical application of agentic AI in the HR space. Instead of starting from a blank slate, teams can:

1. Upload materials (guides, checklists, decks).

2. Set goals (e.g., IT setup, manager reminders, buddy introductions, 30/60/90 check-ins).

3. Let the AI generate a draft Journey, complete with tasks, polls, and reminders delivered in Slack.

4. Review and finalize, tweaking tone, timing, or details before launching your onboarding program.

A Look Ahead

Agentic AI is not about replacing the human side of work. No algorithm can replicate mentorship, culture-building, or empathy. What it can do is handle the repeatable structure so people teams spend less time on logistics and more time building relationships.

Onboarding is just the start. The same principles can extend to performance reviews, learning programs, and employee recognition—any area where goals, timing, and consistent communication matter.

For teams looking to see this in action, watch the on-demand demo of Donut’s AI Onboarding Agent with VP of Product Design Bernardo Núñez. The session walks through setting up a complete flow in minutes, showcases practical use cases, and answers common questions.