Agents vs. Agency
Written by: Christian Talbot, CEO + President, MSA (posted Mon, June 30th, 2025 | 9:00 am)
The CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy, recently shared a pointed memo, “Some thoughts on Generative AI.” In it, he said:
“We have strong conviction that AI agents will change how we all work and live. Think of agents as software systems that use AI to perform tasks on behalf of users or other systems. Agents let you tell them what you want.”
Who wouldn’t want a fleet of tireless agents doing all the stuff that you don’t have time for, don’t care to do, or maybe don’t even know how to do?
Or is it the start of a modern version of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice? We know how to summon the magic, but we may be about to learn a painful lesson about the difference between agents and agency.
Mehta and Fine’s In Search of Deeper Learning (2019) revealed what research has shown for decades about the most powerful learning experiences: they not only develop knowledge and skills, but also design for student purpose and agency.
Agency is not about picking something off a menu someone else has given you. Yet the creators of AI agents will have clear incentives to shape our choices.
True agency—the kind of agency we want to develop in students—is about choices leading to self-determination.
So if we want our students to be agents of their self-determination in a world of increasingly abundant AI, we need to design learning experiences that foster:
Self-awareness (ie, knowing what matters to you and why).
Decision-making (ie, knowing how to choose what matters).
Governance (ie, nurturing systems that support decision-making grounded what matters).
How are you designing powerful learning experiences to ensure that your students have real agency in the world?
