Just like most software developers build complex applications with trusted development frameworks, Artificial Intelligence engineers also use AI agent frameworks for advanced agentic systems to design, train, and manage intelligent AI agents.
- What are AI Agent Frameworks?
- What are Agentic Systems?
- Consideration Before Choosing AI Agent Frameworks for Advanced Agentic Systems
- Best AI Agent Frameworks for Advanced Agentic Systems
- Ethical and Regulatory Considerations
- FAQs about AI Frameworks
What are AI Agent Frameworks?
AI agent frameworks are software platforms, libraries, or environments that help AI developers build intelligent agents and autonomous agentic systems.
Simply put, these systems simplify the process of building and managing intelligent agents by providing ready-to-use tools and structures.
These frameworks handle varying tasks like managing workflows, integrating APIs, handling memory, and enabling complex decision-making. That way, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and you can focus on problem-solving features. Click this to learn more about AI agents use cases, especially for businesses.
What are Agentic Systems?
Agentic systems (also known as autonomous AI agents) are advanced forms of AI that can perform complex planning, reasoning, and workflow orchestration with minimal human intervention.
Because they’re so autonomous and can simulate human decision-making as closely as possible, agentic systems can drastically improve productivity, support employees in gaining new skills, and enhance your company’s bottom line while automating routine or repetitive tasks.
Advanced Agentic Systems in Industries
- HR: According to Mercer, 81 percent of companies already use AI agents for screening and 60% for candidate evaluation.
- Healthcare: AI agents cut review times by 30 percent because they can streamline approval processes with real-time data and predictive analytics.
- Education: AI agents are being used to study each student’s learning pattern to create custom learning plans and adaptive learning programs that have caused a 62 percent increase in test scores.
- Business: AI-powered customer service teams save around 45 percent of the time spent on calls, are 44 percent faster in resolving customer issues, and enjoy a 35 percent increase in the quality and consistency of support.
The benefits continue; no wonder Salesforce has added two fully autonomous sales agents to help train and scale their sales teams.
Consideration Before Choosing AI Agent Frameworks for Advanced Agentic Systems
If you’re looking for suitable AI agent Frameworks for any advanced agentic systems you plan on building, here are important factors to consider before making a choice:
Multi-Agent vs. Single-Agent Systems
Agentic systems can be single-agent or multi-agent, each with different features and applications.
In a single-agent system, a standalone AI entity performs specific tasks independently. It follows a set of rules and algorithms to reach its objectives without interacting with other agents.
For example, the robotic vacuum cleaner in your home is a single-agent system. It autonomously moves between spaces, decides on cleaning paths based on sensors, and can optimize performance without collaborating with other devices.
On the other hand, a multi-agent system (MAS) is a network of multiple AI entities cooperating, communicating, and coordinating their actions to solve complex problems or achieve common goals.
An example of a multi-agent application could be a traffic management system designed to optimize traffic flow and enhance security in a smart city. This may be implemented through autonomous vehicles, surveillance drones, traffic signals, and road sensors, all acting as agents working together in real-time to achieve coordinated traffic control and monitoring.
Some futuristic use cases, like autonomous drone coordination for logistics or AI-driven financial trading systems, also showcase the versatility of MAS and how they can tackle large-scale, complex challenges.
Integration with Other Systems
Integration is crucial when choosing the tools in your tech stack. So, think about this when selecting the best AI agent frameworks for advanced agentic systems; some aspects you should keep in mind:
- API integration
- Database compatibility
- Availability of cloud service support
- Integration with CRMs
- Availability of plug-and-play support, particularly for third-party applications
- Scalability and compatibility with existing IT infrastructure, etc.
An AI agent framework with strong integration capabilities keeps business operations running smoothly without disruption.
Development Complexity
In addition, you should consider the ease of development. While some frameworks require advanced programming expertise (so you naturally need a proficient team), others have user-friendly interfaces, pre-built components, or low-code/no-code capabilities that make developing AI Agents easier and may even be done with minimal expertise or coding knowledge.
Ethical Considerations
Ethical concerns are a notable issue when working in the artificial intelligence space, and the same applies to AI agent frameworks for advanced agentic systems. Addressing concerns such as transparency, data privacy, bias mitigation, and responsible AI compliance is essential. Adhering to these standards helps to ensure that your systems work fairly and securely and that you stay compliant with regulations that may cause legal, financial, and reputational risks.
Cost
Finally, but no less critical, of course, you need to consider the cost associated with any AI agent framework you choose. Some are free, open-source options, while others require licensing or subscription fees. Also, don’t be overly fixated on the upfront costs. Consider ongoing expenses like maintenance, scaling, and upgrades to understand better the investment required.
Best AI Agent Frameworks for Advanced Agentic Systems
With so many platforms and services out there, it’s possible to be worried when selecting the best AI agent frameworks for your project.
Below, we’ve listed five that cover different needs.
- Hugging Face transformers
- CrewAI
- LangChain
- OpenAI Gym
- TensorFlow Agents
Hugging Face Transformers
Transformers Agents by Hugging Face is an open-source framework for deep learning that allows developers to download pre-trained transformer models like GPT, BERT, and T5 to build, test, and deploy AI agents that can handle complex NLP tasks like text classification, translation, summarization, and named-entity recognition.
These pre-trained models can also be fine-tuned to enhance performance through unified, user-friendly, and flexible API tools, Its Inference API allows developers to deploy AI models without needing extensive computational resources, making it more accessible to smaller teams.
Besides natural language processing, transformer models also support tasks in different modalities, such as:
- Computer vision for image recognition and recognition
- Audio for speech recognition and audio classification and
- Multi-modal applications (combining inputs from multiple data types like text and images)
However, a potential drawback is that transformer models require more computational resources and memory to train and run, especially compared to recurrent neural networks (RNNs).
CrewAI
CrewAI is an open-source Python-based framework designed to help developers build, manage, and deploy multi-agent AI systems. These autonomous AI agents work together like a “crew” to complete complex tasks.
With CrewAI, developers can assign specific roles (role-based architecture) and enable autonomous decision-making between agents. This allows them to solve complex problems faster and more effectively than individual agents that work alone.
Other key features of Crew AI include:
- Agent orchestration: pre-loaded with tools to define and coordinate agent behaviors.
- Seamless Communication and information exchange between agents.
- Tool Integration: CrewAI comes with tools like web search engines, data analysis tools and language models that allow agents to engage, gather, and analyze information from various external sources to accomplish tasks.
LangChain
LangChain is an open-source framework for building complex applications with language models. Its structured prompt templates and integration with most LLMs make it ideal for handling text-heavy workflows like summarization or advanced research tools.
In addition, LangChain’s features, like the Model I/O module, allow it to interact with most language models, performing tasks like managing inputs and extracting information from outputs. It also has prompt templates that allow devs to create structured prompts for LLMs.
However, it has a steep learning curve. LangChain may require explicit configuration of memory and context windows, making its workflows difficult for new users to understand and set up.
Learn more about LangChain vs LlamaIndex
OpenAI Gym
OpenAI Gym is an open-source Python library that provides a standardized interface for developing and comparing reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms.
For context, reinforcement learning allows an agent to interact with and learn behaviors from its environment through trial and error.
OpenAI Gym streamlines this process by providing features and tools like:
- A collection of pre-built environments like classic control problems (CartPole, Pendulum), Atari games, and robotics simulations, so you enjoy a rich playground for experimentation.
- Standardized interface for easy interaction between the agent and the environment.
- Community and resources: A vibrant community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and examples.
Perhaps one of OpenAI Gym’s limitations is its limited support for multi-agent environments. Many newbies have also reported it has a complex setup.
TensorFlow Agents
Like OpenAI Gym, TensorFlow Agents or TF-Agents is an open-source, versatile, and user-friendly library for developing Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms and applications.
TF-Agents streamlines this process by providing features and tools like:
- Pre-implemented algorithms (Deep Q-Network, Soft Actor-Critic, Proximal Policy Optimization) ready for use
- Environment interaction utilities
- Policy evaluation/optimization support to test and improve the performance of learned policies
Since it’s built by TensorFlow, TF-Agents also integrates with TensorFlow 2.x, helping developers access more powerful features and build complex models.
Perhaps one drawback to consider is the limited Windows support compared to platforms like Linux.
As generative AI evolves, AI agent frameworks have become crucial when building autonomous and advanced agentic systems. They provide the necessary tools and infrastructure so devs can focus on solving specific problems and deploying AI agents quickly.
Ethical and Regulatory Considerations
When choosing AI frameworks, ethical and regulatory concerns should not be overlooked. For instance, in HR applications, ensuring fairness and avoiding bias in candidate screening is crucial. Similarly, in healthcare projects, compliance with data privacy laws like GDPR or HIPAA is non-negotiable. Addressing these considerations helps mitigate risks and ensure responsible AI adoption.
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FAQs about AI Frameworks
There’s no single best AI agent framework. The ideal choice depends heavily on your specific project needs and goals.
AI Agents are tools made for specific task and may often have limited autonomy, while Agentic AI is a broader concept that allows systems to adapt, learn, and make decisions based on their environment, all within a defined scope.
When choosing an AI agent framework, factors like the complexity of your project, your team’s expertise, integration capabilities, ethical considerations, cost, and the desired level of control will guide you toward the most suitable option for your goals.
