Do I need AI agents, or just automation?

The short answer. Probably fewer agents than you have been told, and some automation. They do different jobs, and the job decides which one you need, not the tool.

Three words that get used as one

This is how I define them, every time:

• An AGENT thinks. It owns one job, it reads before it answers, and it can disagree with you.
• A SKILL does not think. It regulates how one thing gets done, the same way every time.
• An AUTOMATION does not wait. It runs when you are not there.

Sort the job, then pick the tool

For any job in your practice, ask one question: does it need judgement, a procedure, or a trigger?

Preparing you for a client call, with an opinion on where to push, needs judgement. That is an agent. Turning your notes into a follow-up in your voice is a procedure. That is a skill. Recording a sale when somebody pays is a trigger. That is an automation, and putting an agent on it adds cost and nothing else.

Where it goes wrong

The common mistake is reaching for an agent first, because agents are what every demo shows. A job that only needs to happen when something else happens does not need anything that thinks. It needs to run reliably.

The other mistake is building any of the three before you have written down how you do the job today. Automating a process you have not settled yet means building the wrong thing faster.

Where to start

Take one week of your practice. List the jobs. Mark each one judgement, procedure or trigger. You will have your answer before you have opened a tool.

If you already run a practice with clients

Sorting your own jobs into judgement, procedure and trigger is easier with somebody asking the questions. That is what the AI Deep Dive is for: CHF 750, ninety minutes, one to one, on how you run your practice today. You leave with a written, personalised strategy for where AI can take work off you, and your options for doing it.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between an AI agent and an automation?

An AGENT thinks. It owns one job, it reads before it answers, and it can disagree with you. An AUTOMATION does not wait. It runs when you are not there.

Do I need an AI agent for my small business?

Only for jobs that need judgement. Jobs that follow a procedure need a skill, and jobs that start on a trigger need an automation.

What is an AI skill?

A SKILL does not think. It regulates how one thing gets done, the same way every time. Turning call notes into a follow-up in your voice is an example.