Design-Patterns

The 6 Agentic AI Architecture Patterns — and What Can Go Wrong With Each

Not All Agents Are Created Equal

The term “AI agent” covers everything from a simple LLM call with a search tool to a fully autonomous swarm of specialized agents coordinating across systems. These aren’t just different scales — they’re fundamentally different architectures with different risk profiles, failure modes, and governance needs.

Understanding which pattern you’re building — and what can go wrong — is the first step toward building agents that are production-ready, not just demo-ready.