We need to stop building "Hope-and-Pray" AI agents. (Why your wrapper is going to break).
Summary
A critique of naive AI agent architectures that rely solely on system prompts, arguing that probabilistic LLMs require self-reflection layers and deterministic gating to ensure reliable production behavior. The author introduces Langoedge as a solution for building trustworthy agents.
Similar Articles
The most reliable data agent I've shipped is ~90% deterministic code. The LLM just parses intent and talks. Change my mind.
The author argues that the reliability of AI agents comes from deterministic code, not the LLM, and shares five key practices for building trustworthy agents on messy real-world data.
An AI agent without a stop policy is just an expensive loop
A practical note on AI agent reliability, arguing that production agents need explicit gates for evidence thresholds, retry budgets, and impact assessment rather than relying on memory alone to determine task completion.
Trying to make agent loops less prompt-based and more deterministic
Discusses approaches to make AI agent loops less reliant on prompts and more deterministic, aiming for greater reliability and control in agentic systems.
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.
Current AI Agents Are Overhyped and Fundamentally Limited
The article criticizes current AI agents as overhyped and fundamentally limited, arguing that they are essentially LLMs with scaffolding and that their reliance on next-token prediction makes them unreliable for long-horizon planning and accountability.