Andrew Ng’s autonomy-first agent framework turns one big prototype into a workflow graph
blaizedsouza · x · 2026-07-26
Andrew Ng’s framing of agents is shifting from “is it an agent?” to “how much autonomy did you give it?” The post breaks autonomy into three levels: low, where you code every step; medium, where the model chooses tools; and high, where it designs its own workflow and writes the tools it needs.
The core lesson is to stop giving one agent the entire job at maximum autonomy. Instead, split the task into pieces, assign autonomy deliberately, lock steps that must never vary, give judgment only where rules are weak, and place reviewers wherever mistakes are expensive. The result is a graph of specialized steps rather than a single overpowered prototype.
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