Google engineer releases free 400-page guide to agentic AI systems

A Google distinguished engineer has published a comprehensive 400-page technical guide to building autonomous AI systems, offering detailed blueprints for creating sophisticated artificial intelligence agents. Antonio Gulli, Senior Director and Distinguished Engineer in Google's CTO Office, announced Agentic Design Patterns: A Hands-On Guide to Building Intelligent Systems with a scheduled release date of December 3, 2025.

The publication addresses a critical gap in AI development methodology. According to Gulli, building effective agentic systems requires more than just a powerful language model—it demands structured architectural blueprints. "It's about moving from raw capability to robust, real-world applications," Gulli stated in the book's introduction.

The guide presents 21 distinct agentic patterns that serve as fundamental building blocks for autonomous AI systems. These patterns range from foundational concepts such as Prompt Chaining and Tool Use to advanced implementations including Multi-Agent Collaboration and Self-Correction frameworks. Each pattern represents a reusable solution to common challenges encountered when building intelligent, goal-oriented systems.

Technical specifications detailed in the book cover multiple implementation frameworks. The guide utilizes three prominent development platforms: LangChain and its extension LangGraph for building complex operational sequences, CrewAI for orchestrating multiple agents, and the Google Agent Developer Kit for evaluation and deployment processes. This multi-framework approach ensures broad applicability across different technical environments.

The publication structure follows a practical methodology. Each chapter focuses on a single agentic pattern, providing pattern overviews, use cases, hands-on code examples, and key takeaways. According to the table of contents, Part One covers 103 pages of core execution patterns including Prompt Chaining, Routing, Parallelization, Reflection, Tool Use, Planning, and Multi-Agent systems.

Part Two addresses 61 pages of memory management and learning capabilities. This section explores Memory Management, Learning and Adaptation, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and Goal Setting frameworks. The technical depth continues through Parts Three and Four, covering 114 pages of advanced topics including Exception Handling, Human-in-the-Loop patterns, Knowledge Retrieval, and Safety implementations.

The book's technical approach emphasizes practical implementation over theoretical discussion. According to the publication details, the guide includes executable code examples, architectural diagrams, and step-by-step implementation instructions. This hands-on methodology addresses the growing demand for actionable AI development resources in enterprise environments.

Industry validation for the guide emerged through social media discussions among AI practitioners. Multiple technology leaders shared positive assessments of the publication's practical value. The book received recognition as a "#1 New Release in Probability & Statistics" on Amazon with a December 3, 2025 release date.

Gulli brings extensive technical credentials to the publication. His background includes over 30 years of relevant experience in AI, Search, and Cloud technologies. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pisa and has previously authored technical publications including "Deep Learning for Keras" across multiple editions and languages.

The economic context for agentic AI development shows significant market potential. Recent research published on PPC Land indicates Google Cloud projects the agentic AI market could reach $1 trillion by 2040, with 90% enterprise adoption expected. This projection reflects growing demand for autonomous AI systems capable of executing complex workflows with minimal human intervention.

The timing of Gulli's publication coincides with increased industry focus on AI agent development. Major technology companies have recently released comprehensive AI agent guides, marking a shift toward more autonomous systems. Companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, and McKinsey have published complementary resources, though Gulli's guide stands out for its comprehensive technical depth and practical implementation focus.

The book addresses critical challenges in AI agent reliability and safety. Traditional single-prompt interactions often prove insufficient for complex, multi-step tasks. Agentic patterns provide structured approaches to decomposing complex objectives into manageable components while maintaining coherence across extended workflows.

Pattern composition represents a key advancement outlined in the guide. The publication demonstrates how individual patterns combine to create sophisticated systems. For example, an autonomous research assistant might integrate Planning patterns for task decomposition, Tool Use for information gathering, Multi-Agent Collaboration for specialized analysis, and Reflection for quality assurance.

Memory Management patterns detailed in the book enable agents to maintain context across interactions while learning from experience. These capabilities distinguish true agentic systems from simple reactive models. The technical specifications include both short-term conversational context and long-term knowledge retention mechanisms.

Safety and alignment considerations receive dedicated coverage through specialized "Guardrails/Safety Patterns." These frameworks address challenges of autonomous operation while maintaining alignment with intended objectives. The patterns include input validation, output filtering, human oversight integration, and graceful degradation capabilities.

The publication includes extensive technical documentation spanning 424 total pages. Appendices provide advanced prompting techniques, framework overviews, and implementation guidelines. A comprehensive glossary defines technical terms and concepts used throughout the guide.

Distribution of the guide follows open-access principles. Google has made the technical documentation publicly available through standard channels, enabling widespread practitioner access. This approach supports broader adoption of structured AI agent development methodologies across the industry.

Agentic Design Patterns (the book in Google Docs - not in pdf)

• Dedication 
• Acknowledgment
• Foreword
• A Thought Leader's Perspective: Power and Responsibility
• Introduction
• What makes an AI system an "agent"?

Part One

1. Chapter 1: Prompt Chaining (code)
2. Chapter 2: Routing (code)
3. Chapter 3: Parallelization (code)
4. Chapter 4: Reflection (code)
5. Chapter 5: Tool Use (code)
6. Chapter 6: Planning (code)
7. Chapter 7: Multi-Agent (code)

Part Two

8. Chapter 8: Memory Management (code)
9. Chapter 9: Learning and Adaptation (code)
10. Chapter 10: Model Context Protocol (MCP) (code)
11. Chapter 11: Goal Setting and Monitoring (code)

Part Three

12. Chapter 12: Exception Handling and Recovery (code)
13. Chapter 13: Human-in-the-Loop (code)
14. Chapter 14: Knowledge Retrieval (RAG) (code)

Part Four

15. Chapter 15: Inter-Agent Communication (A2A) (code)
16. Chapter 16: Resource-Aware Optimization (code)
17. Chapter 17: Reasoning Techniques (code)
18. Chapter 18: Guardrails/Safety Patterns (code)
19. Chapter 19: Evaluation and Monitoring (code)
20. Chapter 20: Prioritization (code)
21. Chapter 21: Exploration and Discovery (code)

Appendix

22. Appendix A: Advanced Prompting Techniques
23. Appendix B - AI Agentic ….: From GUI to Real world environment
24. Appendix C - Quick overview of Agentic Frameworks
25. Appendix D - Building an Agent with AgentSpace (on-line only)
26. Appendix E - AI Agents on the CLI (online)
27. Appendix F - Under the Hood: An Inside Look at the Agents’ Reasoning Engines
28. Appendix G -  Coding agents

• Conclusion
• Glossary
• Index of Terms
• Online Contribution - Frequently Asked Questions: Agentic Design Patterns

The table of contents

Why this matters for marketing

The release of this comprehensive guide signals the maturation of agentic AI from experimental technology to practical implementation framework. For marketing professionals, these developments indicate significant opportunities for campaign automation and optimization capabilities that extend far beyond current programmatic advertising approaches.

The emergence of agentic AI capabilities in marketing contexts has already shown measurable impact, with AI search traffic converting at rates 23 times higher than traditional organic search visitors despite representing minimal traffic volume. This pattern suggests that AI-powered systems are fundamentally changing how users discover and interact with content.

Google's recent introduction of automated calling features demonstrates practical agentic implementations in customer service contexts. The system autonomously contacts businesses to gather pricing and availability information on behalf of users, representing the type of goal-oriented behavior that Gulli's patterns enable at scale.

The technical frameworks outlined in the guide provide marketing teams with structured approaches to building custom AI agents for campaign management, content optimization, and customer interaction automation. Rather than relying on black-box solutions, these patterns enable transparent, controllable implementations that align with specific business objectives.

Timeline

• September 2024: Google researchers publish technical whitepaper on AI agent architectures
• December 6, 2023: Google introduces Gemini as multimodal AI model
• December 2025: Antonio Gulli announces "Agentic Design Patterns" guide for December 3, 2025 release
• Late 2023-Early 2024: Google conducts initial tests of advertisements in AI chatbot conversations
• March 2025: Google launches AI Mode for search subscribers
• May 2025: Major technology companies release AI agent implementation guides
• June 2025: Ahrefs research reveals AI search visitors convert 23x higher than organic traffic
• July 16, 2025: Google unveils automated business calling features powered by agentic AI
• July 27, 2025: Google Cloud projects $1 trillion agentic AI market by 2040

Summary

Who: Antonio Gulli, Senior Director and Distinguished Engineer in Google's CTO Office, with over 30 years of experience in AI, Search, and Cloud technologies and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pisa.

What: A comprehensive 400-page technical guide titled "Agentic Design Patterns: A Hands-On Guide to Building Intelligent Systems" that presents 21 distinct patterns for building autonomous AI agents, covering everything from basic prompt chaining to advanced multi-agent collaboration frameworks.

When: Announced with a scheduled release date of December 3, 2025, with the book being listed as a "#1 New Release in Probability & Statistics" on Amazon.

Where: Announced through multiple channels including social media and Amazon pre-orders, with Google making the technical documentation publicly available through standard distribution mechanisms.

Why: The guide addresses the critical gap between powerful language models and practical autonomous systems, providing structured architectural blueprints necessary for building reliable, goal-oriented AI agents that can operate with minimal human intervention in real-world applications.