Civil Eats: “December 4, 2025 – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Monday that it has deployed a version of artificial intelligence called “agentic AI” for “all agency employees” to assist with complex tasks, including safety reviews, inspections, and compliance. While the release did not specifically mention food safety, the agency is responsible for monitoring the safety of the U.S. food supply (with the exception of meatpacking plants). And many of the activities mentioned, like pre-market reviews and inspections, apply to how the agency regulates food. “FDA’s talented reviewers have been creative and proactive in deploying AI capabilities — agentic AI will give them a powerful tool to streamline their work and help them ensure the safety and efficacy of regulated products,” FDA Chief AI Officer Jeremy Walsh said in the release. The FDA rolled out a large language model AI called Elsa in May, which the agency says is now being used by more than 70 percent of its staff. But while large language models (LLMs) can answer questions and generate reports, agentic AI is named for its ability to “make decisions, execute actions, and optimize processes without continuous human intervention,” according to Northeastern University’s Institute for Experiential AI…”