Multi-Agent System

An AI system made up of several AI agents that work together, splitting a task into parts and co-ordinating to reach a larger goal. The OECD uses this structure to separate agentic AI from a single AI agent: agentic AI "generally refers to systems composed of multiple co-ordinated AI agents that can break down tasks, collaborate and pursue complex objectives autonomously over extended periods", and is designed "to function with minimal human supervision". In the Bank of England and FCA's 2026 survey of UK financial firms, multi-agent systems were the agent type with the largest expected increase in deployment over the following 12 months. Because agents in such a system pass work between themselves, oversight has to cover how they interact, not only what each one does alone.