AI isn’t a substitute for human skills. It’s a multiplier.
Technology & Innovation • 9 min read
Individual Course
Agentic AI Foundations: Business Applications and Risks
Course Length
4 weeks
2–3 hours per week
Featuring faculty from:
Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Certificate Price:
$ 295
Enroll by May 31, 2026
Enroll NowCertificate Price:
$ 295
Enroll by May 31, 2026
Enroll NowAgentic AI is changing how professionals and teams think about work, automation, and human-AI collaboration, moving us from tools that simply answer prompts to systems that can share in planning, execution, and decision-making.
Special introductory pricing: The inaugural June cohort is available for $295. All future cohorts will be priced at $595.
This course examines how these shifts may change roles, workflows, and organizational structures in the years ahead. Led by Harvard Professor Hanspeter Pfister, this course guides you through the transition from generative AI, which primarily responds to prompts, to agentic AI: systems that can plan steps, call tools, interact with applications, and carry out complex tasks with varying levels of autonomy.
Through expert insights and real-world examples, you will explore the technology behind AI agents. You’ll learn how large language models serve as a foundation for agentic systems, and how agents use reasoning, task decomposition, and tool integration to turn simple prompts into multi-step actions.
You will also learn to identify high-potential uses for agentic AI in your own work while recognizing where human judgment should remain central. Along the way, you’ll consider key challenges such as hallucinations, bias, bad agents, data exposure, and governance, preparing you to evaluate when and how to use AI agents responsibly.
Self-Guided
Harvard Online
Industries:
- Technology
- Consumer Products
- Advertising/marketing/public Relations
- Financial Services
- Learning Outcomes
Understand agentic AI and how AI agents work
- Learning Outcomes
Evaluate how agentic AI can be applied in business
- Learning Outcomes
Communicate the risks, limits, and governance needs of agentic AI
- Learn from real case studies
- Do it on your own time
- Get a certificate, add it to your resume
- Be part of the Harvard Community
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A variety of formats, from long-form courses that replicate an on-campus classroom experience to short-form content
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Past Participant Discounts
Learners who have enrolled in at least one qualifying Harvard Online program receive a 30% discount on this course. Select Past Participant Discounts are automatically applied to the Program Fee upon time of payment.
Learners who have earned a verified certificate for a HarvardX course hosted on the edX platform are eligible to receive a 30% discount on this course using a discount code. Discounts are not available after you've submitted payment, so if you think you are eligible for a discount on a registration, please check your email for a code or contact us.
Nonprofit, Government, Military, and Education Discounts
Eligibility is determined by a prospective learner’s email address, ending in .org, .gov, .mil, or .edu. Interested learners can apply below for the discount and, if eligible, will receive a promo code to enter when completing payment information to enroll in a Harvard Online program.
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- AI isn’t a substitute for human skills. It’s a multiplier.