Speaking at the Cisco AI Summit in February, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued that concerns about hyper-capable AI replacing human knowledge workers en masse were overblown. “You’re not going to lose your job because of AI,” he declared. “You’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.” One could consider this perspective as sinister in itself. Or you could take the opportunity to become “someone who uses AI.” Nowadays, that doesn’t just mean consulting a chatbot. It means leveraging AI agents. Using them can free up time so you can do your best work. Here you’ll find a guide to get started, avoid pitfalls, and stay up to date with the latest developments.
Explore your apps
The easiest way to dive into agent AI is to experiment with features built into the apps you already use. Many large, established productivity platforms offer their own agents, and while the level of advertising in the industry is high, some are really useful:
Asana AI Teammates
Project management platform Asana emphasizes the broad skills of its agents by calling them “teammates.” Following your instructions, they can perform work such as drawing up schedules and conducting competitive analysis based on market data.
Canva AI
Few long-established platforms have embraced AI as enthusiastically as design tool Canva. You can use its Canva AI feature to generate first drafts of presentations, PDFs, videos, apps, and more, and then edit them as you see fit.
Google Workspace Studio
As part of Google’s Workspace suite, this tool allows you to create agents to handle simple ongoing tasks, for example sending summaries after Google Meet meetings or monitoring your Gmail for messages that require a response.
Notion of AI
Notion started as a collaborative and flexible note-taking app. It has now evolved into a command center for AI-powered workplace productivity. In addition to being able to do automated work using Notion’s own functions on your behalf, you can access data from external sources like Slack and Google Docs.
Lazy Slackbot
Do you live in Slack? So does your built-in bot, giving you access to information reflected in conversations and channels. Tap this repository of work-related data to help you prepare for meetings, review projects in progress, and more.
ZoomMate
The video calling giant’s agent can schedule meetings, propose ways to achieve agreed-upon goals, and share notes for follow-up.
Three YouTube videos on AI agent
AI agents, clearly explained
Jeff Su, 10 minutes
If you still don’t know what agent AI is and what it can do for you, product marketer Su’s video will get you up to speed with plain English definitions and real-world examples.
Vibe Coding Fundamentals in 33 Minutes
Tina Huang, 33 minutes
It offers basics for using AI to build your own applications: choosing the right tool to use, effectively telling it what you want to build, fixing any bugs in the resulting code, and controlling the cost involved.
Complete AI Agent Course 2026: Master Agentic AI
Nick Saraev, 2 hours
Once you’re ready to dig deeper, this meaty video shows how to create powerful agents using tools like Anthropic’s Claude Code, Google’s Antigravity, and OpenAI’s Codex.
Three free AI agent courses
Introduction to AI agents
Fifteen minutes of video instructions aimed at curious and non-professionals, plus a quiz to test your knowledge. (codecademy)
AI Agents for Everyday Professionals
If you’re ready to try creating your first agent, start here. (Learning on LinkedIn)
The administrator’s guide to integrating and managing AI agents
Analyst Charlene Li on enterprise use of agents, from measuring their impact to avoiding ethical pitfalls. (Learning on LinkedIn)
Try one or two specialists
Major everyday productivity platforms aren’t the only type of software that’s becoming agentic. A host of lesser-known upstart AI agents are emerging to address specific work scenarios, from taking notes during meetings to incorporating data into spreadsheets.
Range
Give your notes to this app and it will do the heavy lifting needed to turn them into a dynamic, visually appealing presentation or website.
granola
In the crowded field of AI helpers who take notes during meetings, Granola’s precision and simplicity make it a favorite among busy, AI-savvy types.
Paradigm
Many projects involve collecting data from the web and then putting it into a spreadsheet. Tell Paradigm what you’re researching and it will collect and extract it for you.
Claim
Reclaim, a pioneering AI scheduling assistant now owned by Dropbox, finds time in your calendar so you can check off your to-dos, create buffer time between meetings, and even fit lunch into your busiest days.
Zapier
This platform serves as the glue that connects more than 9,000 applications and services. Your AI can determine which tools to turn to to accomplish tasks for you.
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Vibrate some code
Until recently, the only people who could create applications were those who had invested an enormous amount of time and effort into learning how to program a computer. But one of the most notable feats of agent AI is vibration coding: converting plain language software descriptions into functional code. Suddenly, app building is open to a much broader swath of us than ever before.
Among the profusion of coding agents at companies large and small, by far the most talked about is Anthropic’s Claude Code, who has a knack for understanding even vague requests and producing slick, relatively bug-free software in response. Its rivals include OpenAI Codex, Google AI Studio, Bolt, Cursor, Lovable, Replit, and many more. Although knowledge of a programming language is not required to use them, it doesn’t hurt to be willing to learn about technical tasks such as configuring databases and creating API keys.
Maybe there’s an app you always thought should exist, or just one that could solve a persistent problem specific to your daily workflow. Thanks to vibration coding, you may be able to make it exist. Even if you have nothing in mind, finding a few minutes to build something simple, just to show that you can (for example, a basic to-do list), is both impressive and educational.
Three agent newsletters on AI
Wonderful tools
This newsletter with the appropriate name of fast company Contributor Jeremy Caplan is a treasure trove of recommendations for AI apps that increase productivity, agent or not. (Weekly)
A useful thing
Wharton professor Ethan Mollick is a leading explainer of AI, especially as new large language models (LLMs) hit the market. (1 or 2 times a month)
The neuron
Among millions of daily newsletters on AI, this one provides some of the best quick takeaway analysis of the latest news. (Daily)
Take a (careful) look at computer usage agents
Launched last November, OpenClaw captured the tech industry’s imagination with remarkable speed. It’s easy to see why. Instead of operating in some distant data center, the free, open-source application runs locally on its users’ computers, which you can control as if you were sitting at the keyboard. When using a messaging app like WhatsApp, you can tell it to perform complex, multi-step tasks (like sorting through email that arrives before you get up) and let it work without your supervision.
Many AI tools claim to be assistants. None has come closer to winning the title than OpenClaw. But in its current form, it is not for the masses. For one thing, it must be installed and used from a command line, a form of nerd interaction. Furthermore, its deep access to a computer’s applications and data opens up a host of theoretical security nightmares, some of which are already unfolding. That explains why many hobbyists run it on Mac Minis they dedicate to software, where it’s harder for mishaps to cause serious damage.
If that sounds intimidating (and it should!), Anthropic’s Claude Cowork may be more your choice. As part of Claude’s desktop app, you can do useful work, like organizing files on your computer, and can even tackle monotonous tasks on a schedule, like filing expense reports for you. It should also be used with care. But it does more than OpenClaw to prevent potentially dangerous actions. For example, you can send emails only once you’ve approved them.
How companies are diving in
51% of companies have already implemented AI agents.
16% Expect to offload more than half of routine tasks to AI.
26% They say they are doing it to reduce costs.
28% They say they are implementing agents to improve the customer experience.
40% of AI agent projects will be abandoned by the end of 2027.
Three AI Agent Podcasts
AI for humans
Presenters Kevin Pereira and Gavin Purcell are true experts in artificial intelligence. Just as important, they refuse to be unreasonably euphoric about technology. (Episodes to date: 178; twice a week)
Everyday AI Podcast
Jordan Wilson, digital strategist and former journalist, features news, commentary, practical advice, and in-depth practical analysis on his show. (Episodes to date: 802; daily)
AI Daily Summary
Founder and investor Nathaniel Whittemore’s daily show goes beyond the headlines with topics like “Why AI Won’t Actually Take Your Job.” (Episodes to date: 1,000; daily)
keep learning
Even by AI’s accelerating standards, agent technology is evolving at a dizzying pace. Existing products are getting smarter, new ones arrive every day, and the race for preeminence among large companies is just beginning. So no matter how useful the current tools seem to you, don’t get too comfortable. Spending some time trying out the latest stuff as it comes out is the best way to understand what agents can (and can’t) do for you.