Foreword

The field of artificial intelligence is at a fascinating inflection point. We are moving beyond building models that can simply process information to creating intelligent systems that can reason, plan, and act to achieve complex goals with ambiguous tasks. These “agentic” systems, as this book so aptly describes them, represent the next frontier in AI, and their development is a challenge that excites and inspires us at Google.

“Agentic Design Patterns: A Hands-On Guide to Building Intelligent Systems” arrives at the perfect moment to guide us on this journey. The book rightly points out that the power of large language models, the cognitive engines of these agents, must be harnessed with structure and thoughtful design. Just as design patterns revolutionized software engineering by providing a common language and reusable solutions to common problems, the agentic patterns in this book will be foundational for building robust, scalable, and reliable intelligent systems.

The metaphor of a “canvas” for building agentic systems is one that resonates deeply with our work on Google’s Vertex AI platform. We strive to provide developers with the most powerful and flexible canvas on which to build the next generation of AI applications. This book provides the practical, hands-on guidance that will empower developers to use that canvas to its full potential. By exploring patterns from prompt chaining and tool use to agent-to-agent collaboration, self-correction, safety and guardrails, this book offers a comprehensive toolkit for any developer looking to build sophisticated AI agents.

The future of AI will be defined by the creativity and ingenuity of developers who can build these intelligent systems. “Agentic Design Patterns” is an indispensable resource that will help to unlock that creativity. It provides the essential knowledge and practical examples to not only understand the “what” and “why” of agentic systems, but also the “how.”

I am thrilled to see this book in the hands of the developer community. The patterns and principles within these pages will undoubtedly accelerate the development of innovative and impactful AI applications that will shape our world for years to come.

Saurabh Tiwary
VP & General Manager, CloudAI @ Google