AI Agents & Orchestration

AI Agents & Automation

Last updated 2026-09-22

What's new

2026-09-22

Codex (a tool by OpenAI that helps you do tasks with AI, like writing, designing, or coding) can be used to build skills, create branded deliverables, and even automate tasks, all without needing a technical background.
The Codex desktop app (a program you download to use Codex easily) is recommended for a consistent experience, and it uses the same subscription as ChatGPT (a popular AI chatbot), so you won't need a new account.
Codex is more powerful than Work (a tool for non-technical knowledge work) and can do everything Work can do, plus more, making it a better investment for learning and using in the long run.
The course will teach you how to use Codex effectively with natural language (regular English, not code) and explain core concepts simply, helping you become a pro AI builder.

2026-09-19

You can save on usage limits by using smaller, cheaper AI models (like Sonnet or Haiku) for simple tasks, and reserving the more expensive model (Fable) for complex work.
Sub-agents (smaller AI models that Fable can assign tasks to) can handle tasks like reading files or making edits, saving your usage limit for more important work.
You can create custom sub-agents with specific instructions and reasoning levels to further optimize costs and efficiency.
By setting up rules in your Claude.md file, you can automate which tasks are delegated to which sub-agents, saving you time and tokens.

2026-09-04

Claude Fable 5.1 (an AI tool) is a big upgrade from Fable 5, especially for scientific research, with double the performance in some areas.
It's more efficient, saving 25-40% on tasks, making it cheaper to use than the previous version.
Fable 5.1 has better filtering, answering more questions without over-censoring like Fable 5 did.
It outperformed other AI models in tests, like creating detailed 3D roller coasters and finding bugs in code.

2026-08-31

**Agentic AI (AI that acts like a helper or assistant) is boosting productivity** by up to 10 times in some Amazon teams, with a median increase of 4.5 times.
**Frontier developers (those using AI in new ways)** write very little code themselves, instead using AI agents (AI helpers) to do most of the work.
**AI agents can work for hours without human input**, and top teams run multiple agents at once to tackle many tasks simultaneously.
**Success isn't just about the tools**, but how teams use them; the most productive teams changed their workflows to better integrate AI.

2026-08-25

Grockbot (an AI assistant app) just dropped its price by 70%, making it $60/month—down from $200—with a free trial available to test it.
Unlike other AI tools, Grockbot lets you create multiple specialized chat "agents" (mini-AI helpers) for tasks like emails, health, or investments.
These agents can talk to each other automatically, sharing info to handle tasks like drafting emails or organizing meetings without manual prompts.
Grockbot connects to apps like Gmail or Google Calendar using "plugins" (add-ons), letting it fetch or update data with simple voice or text commands.

2026-08-22

DeepSeek, a company that makes AI models, is testing a new version (DeepSeek 5) that might be as good as or better than other top models like Fable 5 and Opus 5, especially for coding tasks.
Claude 3 Opus, an AI assistant, now has a "concise" mode that gives shorter answers first, saving you tokens (the units AI uses to process information) and making it more efficient to use.
Ornet, an open-source AI model you can run on your own computer, has a new version (Ornet 1.5) with three sizes and improved performance.
OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is growing rapidly, showing that AI is becoming widely adopted and is here to stay.

2026-08-19

Hermes, a popular AI tool, just added a new "bot mode" that lets you create and manage multiple AI agents (individual AI helpers with specific roles), similar to a competing tool called Grockbot.
In this new mode, you can have different AI agents (like Dusty, Barry, or Cindy) with their own tools and skills, and they can even talk to each other to share information, making it feel like you have a team of helpers.
Hermes' bot mode is a direct copy of Grockbot's design, but it offers more customization, like choosing different AI providers (companies that make AI models) and adjusting each agent's personality.
This update is only available in the desktop app (software you run on your computer) and requires the latest version of Hermes.

2026-08-13

Meta (a company owned by Mark Zuckerberg) released Muse Code, a new AI tool (called an agent) that helps with coding tasks, like building apps, and it's much cheaper than similar tools from other companies.
Muse Code can be used in a terminal (a special window for typing computer commands) and can be set up quickly with the help of another AI tool called Codeex.
Codeex, an AI tool for developers, has updated its desktop app to include a new notifications bar that shows recent activities and their locations on your computer, making it easier to track tasks.

2026-08-01

AI can help create a virtual executive officer (a digital assistant for business tasks) using tools like Claude Code (a coding assistant) and frameworks like Seed (a planning tool) and Skill Smith (a skill-building tool).
To build this officer, you need to know what you want it to do, what data it can use, and how to connect it to your other software tools using MCPs (command-line tools that act as bridges).
The focus is on AI augmentation (using AI to improve decisions) rather than full automation (replacing all human tasks), especially if your business processes aren't clearly defined yet.
You can use tools like Appify (a data scraper) to gather data from platforms like Instagram and YouTube, and integrate it with your officer for tasks like competitor analysis.

2026-07-28

Claude Opus 5 (a new AI model) can create detailed, professional spreadsheets in Excel, like turning Nvidia's annual report into a financial model with forecasts and charts.
A free AI agents cheat sheet from HubSpot and Futuredia helps beginners choose and use AI agents (automated AI tools) for tasks like competitor research or organizing files.
To use Claude (an AI model) with Excel, install the Claude extension (a small program that adds features) to let Claude control and edit your spreadsheet.
Claude can also search the internet for information, like rumors about the Anthropic IPO (when a company first sells stock to the public), and add it to your spreadsheet.

2026-07-25

Lyft has developed a customer support AI agent (a computer program that mimics human conversation to help customers) and emphasizes rigorous offline and online evaluations to ensure its performance before and after launch.
Their offline evaluation involves simulated multi-turn conversations using synthetic data (fake but realistic data) and a language model (LM) judge to assess interactions, aiming to prevent using live users as test data.
Online evaluations include tracing tools to monitor the AI agent's actions, an online grader to evaluate its performance, and a human-in-the-loop process to analyze errors and improve the agent continuously.
They highlight common evaluation failures, such as creating meaningless scores, having unreliable LM judges, and lacking mechanisms to catch performance regressions (when the AI agent starts performing worse) in production.

2026-07-19

Thinking Machines Lab, a startup led by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, released a new AI model called Inkling, which is a large, open model designed to handle text, images, audio, and video.
Inkling is a "mixture of experts" transformer (a type of AI model) with 975 billion total parameters, but only around 41 billion activate for a typical prompt, making it faster and cheaper to run.
Unlike other AI models that focus on specific tasks, Inkling is a generalist, meaning it's designed to perform well across a wide range of tasks, including reasoning, coding, and following instructions.
Inkling is fully open, meaning anyone can download and use it for free, and it's designed to be efficient, matching the performance of other models while using fewer resources.

2026-07-16

Combining Fable 5 (a powerful AI model) with Hermes (an AI agent) can boost productivity and efficiency, but it's important to use Fable 5 strategically to avoid high costs.
A new method called "compress, judge, and execute" uses cheaper or free AI models (like ChatGPT 5.5) to gather and compress data, then uses Fable 5 to make decisions and Hermes to execute tasks.
A new skill has been added to help Hermes know when to use Fable 5 and when to use other models, with a cost estimate feature to help manage expenses.
The Agentyc Operating System (a platform for managing AI agents) now supports creating custom AI personas with specific jobs and models, like using Fable 5 as a "lead orchestrator" for big-picture tasks.

2026-07-10

Hermes Agent (a powerful AI tool that can act like a full-time employee) works best with the Opus model (a specific AI model that's very reliable but expensive), but ChatGPT (a popular AI chat service) and GLM 5.2 (a cheaper AI model) are also options.
To avoid downtime, run at least two Hermes agents simultaneously, using different AI models or accounts, so they can monitor and fix each other if one fails.
You can create new Hermes agents (called "profiles") either by asking an existing agent to set one up for you or by using the Hermes dashboard.
If you're running a serious business, consider investing in the Opus model for Hermes Agent, as it's the most reliable for completing tasks.

2026-07-07

New AI models like Fable 5 (a smart AI assistant) and GPT 5.6 do too much, so you need to simplify your requests to avoid overwhelming them.
To get the best results, tell the AI what you want to achieve, who it's for, and what "done" looks like, without giving step-by-step instructions.
Use a "fence" to prevent the AI from doing extra, unasked tasks by setting clear boundaries in your requests.
Fable 5 will soon cost extra to use, so save it for complex tasks that need high-quality results.

Key points

What it is

An AI agent is a program that figures out the steps to reach a goal on its own, like a construction crew building a train track from your instructions.
Unlike a deterministic workflow (a fixed sequence where same input always produces same output), an AI agent is more like a slot machine — pull the lever and results vary.
AI agents are powerful, but often overused; simple workflow automation (a reliable, step-by-step process that may use no AI at all) works better for many business tasks.
The real skill is knowing when an AI agent fits and when a basic automation is the right tool.

How to use it

Start with a clear outcome in mind and describe what you want done, instead of writing step-by-step instructions.
Give the agent instructions, provide access to your tools (like files on your computer or a folder of ready-made abilities), and teach the agent by showing it examples.
Use managed cloud agents with proper authentication rather than running tools that require you to sit there hitting "go."
Match intelligence to the task: use simpler, cheaper models for routine work and reserve powerful models for complex analysis.

Watch out for

Treat agents as ongoing tools, not finished products; AI still makes mistakes, so stay involved and review outputs regularly.
Avoid building everything from scratch with complex workflows or custom code; instead, think of agents as skills you assemble in minutes using plugins.
Never let agents use real passwords or API keys on their own; always use managed cloud agents with proper authentication.
Sell solutions to specific problems, not automation tools; become a long-term partner solving business pain points, not a scrapy dev selling features.

Tools named

Claude Code (an AI tool that figures out how to execute your goal), Apex (a tool for task automation), n8n (a drag-and-drop tool for connecting apps), HubSpot’s free AI agents cheat sheet (a guide covering seven tools, their costs, and best use cases), Co-work (a tool for AI development), Codex (a tool for AI development)

Lesson 1: What is AI Agents & Automation and why it matters

An AI agent is a program that figures out the steps to reach a goal on its own. You give it an outcome, and it decides how to get there — like telling a construction crew "build a train track from here to there" and letting them handle the details. This is different from a deterministic workflow (a fixed sequence where same input always produces same output). Think of a vending machine: put in a quarter, hit E4, get a Coke. An AI agent is more like a slot machine — pull the lever and results vary.

AI agents are powerful, but they are often overused. For many business tasks, simple workflow automation (a reliable, step-by-step process that may use no AI at all) works better and is more predictable. About half of all business automations don't need any AI. The real skill is knowing when an AI agent fits and when a basic automation is the right tool.

For AI development, this distinction matters because it guides how you build. With traditional automation, you lay every rail and switch by hand. With agentic workflows, you describe what you want and the system handles execution. Many AI agent platforms connect to your existing tools and let you create automations that run on a schedule. Successful AI development means being a problem solver first — picking the simplest reliable solution, not defaulting to agents for every task.

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Lesson 2: How to use AI Agents & Automation: step-by-step

To use AI agents (programs that complete tasks for you automatically), start with a clear outcome in mind. Instead of writing step-by-step instructions, you simply describe what you want done. For example, with Claude Code, you paste your goal into the tool and it figures out how to execute it.

The process has three steps. First, give the agent instructions about what you need. Second, provide access to your tools—like files on your computer or a folder of high-quality skills (ready-made abilities the agent can use). Third, teach the agent by showing it examples. You can place system instructions (rules for how the AI should behave) in a file. If you use Co-work, that file is called Claude.md; if you use Codex, it is agents.md.

A practical example: multiple YC companies now build agents just for task automation. Tools like Apex let you say, "Here's the outcome I want," and the agent handles the rest. To match the right intelligence to the right task, you can run two different agents at once—saving money by using a simpler model for easy jobs and a smarter one for complex work.

If you want help picking what to automate, HubSpot’s free AI agents cheat sheet covers seven tools, their costs, and best use cases. Start simple, solve one problem, then expand. You do not need to be a developer—just describe what you want, give the agent access, and let it work.

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Lesson 3: Best practices and pitfalls

# AI Agents & Automation: Common Pitfalls and Best Practices

Building AI agents (autonomous programs that perform tasks) sounds exciting, but beginners often stumble into predictable mistakes. The biggest pitfall is treating agents as finished products rather than ongoing tools. Many users build agents once, then expect them to work perfectly forever—they don't. AI still makes mistakes all the time, so you need to stay involved and review outputs regularly.

A critical mistake is trying to build everything from scratch with complex n8n workflows or custom code. Instead, think of agents as skills you assemble in minutes using plugins. One approach: build the information hierarchy (structured data your AI reads) first, then point any agent at it. If you switch from Claude to ChatGPT tomorrow, your hierarchy still works.

Another pitfall is security—agents cannot safely use real passwords or API keys on their own. Always use managed cloud agents with proper authentication rather than running tools that require you to sit there hitting "go." Claude's managed agents run 24/7 in the cloud and took under 30 minutes to set up.

The best practice? Match intelligence to the task. Use simpler, cheaper models for routine work and reserve powerful models for complex analysis. This saves ridiculous amounts of money once dialed in. Also, sell solutions to specific problems, not automation tools—become a long-term partner solving business pain points, not a scrapy dev selling features.

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