The AI train is currently barreling through Hypeville, and it's easy to be dubious of anything branded with "AI". My previous post, Simulated intelligence definitely factors into this topic. And as I wrote at the time, AI is not what people think it is. But even with its flaws it is a transformative technology and it's here to stay. And one AI technology you're likely hearing/reading about lately is AI agents, and it's one to pay attention to.
AI agents are not (always) covert operatives. They are AI powered services that perform tasks, not just answer questions. They can work as an assistant, helping you as you work, or independently perform tasks on your behalf. Agents are specialists, and can be trained to perform tasks that would otherwise be performed by a person.
AI agents are already being used in your favorite web services, from social media platforms to accounting software. In those cases they're typically used behind the scenes to provide features you may not have thought were possible. For example, your accounting platform could auto-categorize or reconcile transactions before you even sign in for the day. And you may have already seen your favorite AI chat platform scour the web on your behalf to give you more up-to-date answers.
Co-working is another (more visible) way you can experience them. An agent trained on your company information (think bios, product information, marketing materials) can work with you to build your next presentation or update sales materials. It could be used to analyze comments or feedback based on context and sentiment, flagging items for follow up. It could find documents based on heuristics, like phrasing inconsistencies in your brand identity. All the odd edge cases you where you had to manually dig and process information could be delegated to an AI agent.
Here's one that everyone will love. Imagine being able to ask your computer to not only find that system setting you can never find, but even ask it to just "do the thing". For example, if there are numerous settings that control performance mode on your laptop, the agent knows which ones to change for you before you run that important presentation.
If all this sounds interesting, there are ways you can play with AI agents on your own and work them into your daily life in meaningful ways. As a software developer I've been using AI agents to enhance my workflow. One I've been using is Github Copilot. It can help perform refactoring and create unit tests, saving me typing and cognitive load so I can focus on planning, strategy, and creative tasks.
You can also try ChatGPT agent. ChatGPT can now do work for you using its own computer, handling complex tasks from start to finish. According to OpenAI:
You can now ask ChatGPT to handle requests like “look at my calendar and brief me on upcoming client meetings based on recent news,” “plan and buy ingredients to make Japanese breakfast for four,” and “analyze three competitors and create a slide deck.” ChatGPT will intelligently navigate websites, filter results, prompt you to log in securely when needed, run code, conduct analysis, and even deliver editable slideshows and spreadsheets that summarize its findings.
There is also a new standard that allows AI platforms to communicate with web services to more reliably and securely perform tasks. It's called Model Context Protocol (MCP). As this tech works its way through various software and services, we'll see more agent-driven features that make a real difference in our lives.
As I wrote at the outset, it's very likely that you're already using AI agents on your favorite social and productivity platforms but weren't aware. They'll be powering more of our digital lives over time and, personally, I welcome our new simulated intelligence overlords (ha!).
It's safe to say that AI agents are the real deal. So we should all strap in and hold on tight. This is going to be exciting!
There's usually more to the story so if you have questions or comments about this post let us know!
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