From Chat Bot to Mission Critical: The Evolution of Agentic AI

James Tombling

Kyndryl

This Presentation traces AI’s evolution from classical machine learning to agentic systems that can plan, reason, and act with minimal human input. It argues that space operations, defined by latency, intermittent connectivity, and high stakes, are a natural fit for such autonomy. Drawing on ESA programmes (Hera, ɸ-sat, OPS-SAT VOLT, and ESOC A²I), it highlights practical use cases across operations, Earth observation, and mission planning. It concludes that the key challenge is not capability but reliability, ensuring safe deployment through verification, explainability, and human trust.