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Diary of an AI Practitioner

Basics

Basics

What any of this actually is, which tool to use, and what it costs.

9 entries

Automation or AI Agent? A Light Switch vs a New Hire

People use these as the same word and then get surprised by what they bought. An automation is one trigger and one fixed action. An agent gets a goal and works out the steps.

Orchestration, Explained Without the Buzzword

Orchestration means someone or something decides which agent or tool handles which part of a job. Without it you have a pile of tools that don't talk to each other. The real shift is when the routing decision stops being yours.

Real AI Agent or Just a Wrapper? Three Questions

Everyone is building agents. Almost nobody is. Three questions settle it before you pay agent prices for prompt value, and calling it a wrapper isn't an insult, it's accurate.

What Is an AI Agent? Instructions, Tools, Triggers

An agent needs instructions, tools, and triggers. Miss one and you have a prompt, a script, or a chatbot. Here is the test, and how to apply it to anything being sold to you as an agent.

What Is an AI Chief of Staff? A Stage Manager, Not an Usher

Not an executive assistant with a chatbot attached. An AI Chief of Staff routes work to the right place at the right time and catches what falls through the cracks nobody is watching.

What Is a Second Brain? A Coat Check for Your Ideas

The term is oversold, which puts people off before they try it. Your first brain has ideas and is bad at holding them. A second brain is just somewhere outside your head where they live.

Netlify Rebuilt Its Platform Around AI Agents

Netlify shipped a major update built around AI agents: Functions redesigned for Agent Experience, an open benchmark called AXIS, and Claude Opus 4.8 live in its AI Gateway. Here's what it means if you're building with Claude.

Claude Team vs Enterprise, for a 15-person team

Most teams under 20 to 30 people don't need Enterprise. The real difference isn't the price, it's what happens to your data and who controls it. Here's how to actually decide.

What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?

AEO is about structuring your content so AI tools like Google AI, Alexa, and Copilot can find, understand, and cite you as the trusted answer.

— Basics —