Clients don't want Ultra Super Ai Agentic agents X Pro. They want 3 hours of work done in 10 minutes
Summary
The article argues that small marketing teams prefer reliable automation that saves time over complex AI agents, emphasizing that clients value getting 3 hours of work done in 10 minutes without needing autonomous reasoning.
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After building AI agents for a year, I've started believing most businesses don't actually want agents.
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built 40+ ai workflows for clients this year... 90% of "agents" are gimmicks tbh
The author criticizes the hype around autonomous AI agents, stating they are often ineffective, and recommends building practical, hardcoded AI workflows using tools like n8n and Claude Sonnet for real-world applications.
Beyond the hype: I just watched an AI agent automate a 4-hour research workflow in 18 minutes.
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I charge clients more to NOT build an AI agent.
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Stop building AI agents.
The author argues that most founders requesting AI agents actually need straightforward automations with minimal LLM integration, citing production failures, compliance hurdles, and higher ROI from simpler workflows. The piece provides a practical decision framework to help builders and founders prioritize reliable automations over complex, unpredictable agents.