Dr. Hanan Ahmad Yahya Aldowah is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Malaysia, with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, educational technology, learning analytics, and e-learning. She holds a PhD from USM and has over seven years of teaching and research experience. Her research focuses on the application of AI, IoT, data mining, and emerging technologies in education, business, healthcare, and other domains. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences and actively serves as a reviewer and editorial board member for several academic journals.

Beyond Generative AI: Exploring the Emerging Role of Agentic AI in Higher Education Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving from systems designed primarily to predict, classify, and generate content toward more autonomous intelligent systems capable of reasoning, planning, coordinating tasks, and taking goal-directed actions. This emerging development, commonly referred to as Agentic AI, represents a significant advancement beyond conventional and Generative AI and has important implications for the future of higher education. This presentation explores the progression from Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Generative AI and Agentic AI, with particular attention to how increasingly autonomous intelligent systems may transform higher education. While Generative AI has already influenced teaching, learning, assessment, research, and academic practices, Agentic AI introduces a new level of capability by enabling AI systems to independently manage multistep tasks and interact with digital environments to achieve defined goals. Within higher education, such capabilities could support personalized learning, intelligent academic advising, research activities, student services, administrative processes, and institutional decisionmaking. However, moving from AI that primarily generates information to AI that can independently initiate and perform actions also introduces significant challenges. Issues surrounding accountability, transparency, data privacy, academic integrity, ethical decision-making, and human oversight become increasingly important as the autonomy of intelligent systems increases. Higher education institutions therefore need to consider not only the technological capabilities of Agentic AI but also the governance structures required for its responsible adoption. The presentation proposes a human-centered perspective on Agentic AI, emphasizing that intelligent systems should augment rather than replace human expertise, judgment, and responsibility. It concludes that the emerging era of Agentic AI presents substantial opportunities for higher education, but realizing its potential will depend on achieving an appropriate balance between technological autonomy and meaningful human oversight. Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Generative AI, Agentic AI, Intelligent Systems, Higher Education, Human–AI Collaboration