Navigating the agentic AI shift: a call for reimagined academic literacies

The emergence of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education raises a critical question: does the move toward autonomous systems capable of planning, decision-making, and action constitute a fundamental shift, or an acceleration of challenges already posed by generative AI? This article argues that these developments require a reimagining of academic literacies, extending beyond traditional emphases on critical thinking and academic writing toward a more comprehensive conception of AI literacy. Drawing on research in AI ethics and digital pedagogy, it explores the implications of learning in partnership with increasingly autonomous systems. It examines how agentic AI disrupts established understandings of authorship, assessment, and intellectual labour, and proposes a framework centred on critical evaluation, prompt literacy, co-authorship, ethical awareness, and recognition of AI limitations. Learning developers are positioned as central actors in this transition, with a key role in shaping pedagogy, assessment, and institutional policy.