If you’re just starting to explore AI in Pega, one of the first things that can trip you up is understanding which type of AI you’re actually working with. Pega distinguishes between three distinct AI categories, and knowing where each one fits makes a big practical difference.
Predictive AI — “The Left Brain”
This is the analytical, statistical side of AI. Predictive AI uses models and data to forecast outcomes — think: likelihood of customer churn, probability of a fraud event, or next-best-action scores. It executes at run time, but it’s driven by mathematical models trained on historical data. This is the foundation of Pega’s decisioning engine.
Predictable AI — “Design-Time AI”
This is perhaps the most misunderstood category. Predictable AI (powered by Pega Blueprint™) applies AI at design time — meaning it helps you build faster and smarter, but by the time your application reaches production, all AI-generated outputs have been converted into standard, deterministic Pega rules. There’s no AI “running” at run time — making it fully auditable, governable, and safe for enterprise use. If you’re using Blueprint to scaffold case types, data models, or flows, this is what you’re using.
Generative AI — “The Right Brain”
This is where GenAI Connect lives. Unlike Predictable AI, Generative AI is creative and dynamic — it executes at run time, generating responses on the fly as a case is being processed. A typical GenAI Connect step sends a prompt (built from an Instruction, Context, and a Question) to a Large Language Model (LLM), receives a response, and maps it to your case data. Common use cases include summarizing case history, drafting communications, generating recommendations, and extracting structured data from documents.
A simple analogy to tie it together:
Think of Predictable AI (Blueprint) as the architect who designs and builds your house — the application structure. Predictive AI is the smart thermostat that learns your preferences and optimizes in real time. Generative AI (GenAI Connect) is an intelligent assistant living inside the house, helping you complete specific day to day tasks.
| Predictive AI | Predictable AI | Generative AI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| When it runs | Run time | Design time | Run time |
| What it does | Forecast, score, decide | Build app structure | Summarize, draft, recommend |
| Key tool | Prediction Studio | Pega Blueprint™ | GenAI Connect |
| Output | Scores & decisions | Fixed Pega rules | Dynamic content |
