What is the difference between agentic and workflow approaches?

A workflow has predefined steps and control flow, with LLM calls slotted into specific points. An agentic system gives the LLM autonomy to decide what to do next at each step. Workflows are more predictable, debuggable, and cheaper. Agents are more flexible but harder to control. Anthropic's research recommends starting with workflows and only adding agency where it provides clear value. ---