From Foundations to Frontiers: B-talk #28 Explores the Rise of Generative and Agentic AI

On October 29, 2025, the MRD Auditorium at PES University buzzed with curiosity and innovation as students and faculty gathered for B-talk #28, titled “From Foundations to Frontiers: Exploring Gen AI and the Rise of Agentic AI.” The session was led by Mr. Pratap Dangeti, Data Science Lead at Koch Business Solutions India, and organized by the Department of BBA and BBA Business Analytics.

A Deep Dive into the AI Evolution
The talk began with a comprehensive overview of Generative AI, explaining how it creates content—text, code, images, and audio—using large pretrained models. Mr. Dangeti walked the audience through the four evolutionary stages of AI:
1. Rule-based systems
2. Machine Learning
3. Deep Learning
4. Generative and Agentic AI

He then introduced Agentic AI, a cutting-edge concept where AI systems can plan, remember, use tools, and take autonomous actions—a leap beyond traditional AI capabilities.

Key Highlights

• Understanding transformers and their role in powering Large Language Models(LLMs)
• Real-world applications: chatbots, automation, invoice processing, SQL/code generation
• The future of AI: self-healing systems, synthetic data, and digital organizations
• Live prompt engineering demos showing how small changes in input can drastically alter AI output

Memorable Quotes

• “Generative AI is revolutionizing industries by creating unique content at scale.”
• “Agents can reason, plan, and act on behalf of users.”
• “When you change the prompt, you change the system.”

Student Involvement & Participation
The event saw 154 attendees and 21 student volunteers, with active participation from students like Havish S Shekar, Cherishma Sunkara, Sharon Delcy H, and many others. The core organizing team included Twisha Anand and Vismay Nambiar, who handled everything from ideation and tech support to anchoring and crowd management.

Learning Outcomes
Students walked away with a clearer understanding of:

• The difference between traditional AI and Agentic AI
• How LLMs and transformers work
• The importance of prompt design
• The growing need for AI literacy and supervision skills

Acknowledgments
Special thanks were extended to Prof. Shruthi Patel and Prof. Akshara, along with faculty attendees including Dr. Jayashree Sapra and Prof. Swarup Pradhan, for their support in making the event a success.

B-talk #28 wasn’t just a lecture—it was a glimpse into the future of AI and a call to action for students to become active participants in shaping it.