Scientific workflows are entering a new phase in which AI, agentic systems, and cloud-service-driven infrastructure are reshaping how scientific campaigns are executed, steered, and validated. Workflows are increasingly becoming the front end to HPC platforms, data repositories, models, inference services, and experimental facilities, creating new challenges for coordination, autonomy, and human oversight. This BoF builds on four prior successful sessions at SC22, SC23, SC24, and SC25, which have each gathered between 85 and 120 participants.

This year, we focus the conversation on how the rapid rise of agentic workflows is changing scientific workflow execution, with particular attention to how the role of the human evolves as workflows become more autonomous. First, we will examine how AI agents are turning workflows from predefined execution plans into adaptive systems that can reason, plan, and act during a campaign. Second, we will explore what this means for scientists and workflow developers who must steer autonomous behavior, intervene when needed, and validate outcomes. Third, we will discuss the new execution landscape these systems require, where workflows connect cloud services, HPC, data, models, inference endpoints, and experimental facilities into a coordinated environment. Finally, we will consider the community practices, infrastructure, and policies needed to make these systems reliable, scalable, and usable for real scientific campaigns.

This BoF will bring together researchers, facility operators, workflow developers, theorists, and industrial collaborators to assess the current landscape and envision the next phase of workflow-enabled science. Participants will hear from experts leading national and international initiatives in agentic workflows, HPC/AI integration, and cross-facility execution. The session will feature lightning talks to set the stage, followed by an interactive workflow challenge in which attendees identify shared needs, practical barriers, and actionable next steps. Outcomes will include a summary of community-identified barriers and priorities, along with an invitation to contribute to future collaborative efforts within the Workflows Community Initiative.