AI in 60 Seconds 🚀 - 3,000 Hours Saved with Ada – AI’s Double-Edged Sword
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3,000 Hours Saved with Ada – AI’s Double-Edged SwordOct 8, 2025 How can I build an AI Agent that actually does something valuable?After our article on AI eating the desktop, our inbox was flooded. So many of you asked the same fundamental question: “I get AI for drafting an email or a social media post. But how do I build something that can actually run a real part of my business?” This question gets to the heart of what we’re wrestling with. We’re navigating a storm of contradictory reports on AI’s impact. Some promise utopia, while others claim massive job displacement is either a certainty or a myth. Our global tracker, which draws data from over half a million users, shows clear productivity gains alongside a projected job displacement rate of 10-15% by 2027. To bring these numbers to life, we answer your question with a case study: the story of Agent Ada. We built Ada using some of the same off-the-shelf tools used to make Elizabeth, my virtual COO, who helps manage our global operation, and who you can hear on our podcast. This story begins where so many big ideas do: over a nice meal, with a simple question. 🎙️ Prefer listening to reading? Me too! The 12-minute podcast episode includes some behind-the-scenes stories not shared here, including the new unit economics. 🎯 The Challenge: Governing a Moving TargetI was at a dinner with policymakers and business leaders, and the conversation inevitably turned to AI regulation. It was the classic problem: they were brilliant minds, but they were drowning, always a step behind the technology. As I often do, I had my virtual COO, Elizabeth, on hand to support the discussion. When they saw her in action, the mood shifted from frustration to possibility. It started with a joke from one of the leaders—”My team needs an Elizabeth!” On my drive back, Elizabeth and I started brainstorming: What if we built an AI agent that could keep up with them? Not a massive, half-million-dollar system that takes eighteen months to deploy (and usually fails). What if we started small, involved the actual users from the beginning, and iterated quickly?
🏗️ Building Ada: The Four-Phase BlueprintFor those who have attended our workshops, you know our secret to success: think in terms of many useful mini-agents. So, we didn’t build a monolithic system. We built a team of specialized mini-agents, each with a tightly defined purpose, and then orchestrated them under one persona: Ada; named after Ada Lovelace. Phase 1: Learn to Listen (Weeks 1-2). We started by asking the experts what sources they trust and what information they need. Ada’s first skill was to scan their 270 approved sources across 8 categories and deliver a concise email brief at 6:00 a.m. local time. Immediate value, zero complexity. Phase 2: Learn to Remember (Weeks 2-3). Guided by user feedback, Ada then learned to autonomously review articles from the briefs and add the most critical ones to her permanent knowledge base. She evolved from a tool to an apprentice. Phase 3: Learn to Converse (Weeks 3-4). With a knowledge base established, we implemented a chat interface to answer natural language questions in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, with her web access restricted to trusted sources. We built in our anti-hallucination loop. Think of it as a small team of agents fact-checking each other's work before the final answer goes out. It forced every response to be backed by verifiable proof. Phase 4: Learn to Create (Weeks 4-6). Finally, we gave Ada access to tools and applications, and, for example, created Word documents understanding the domain, audience, and style. She eliminated the copy-paste friction, and users began creating content based on conversations instead of opening productivity apps. Critical Success Factor: We waited 1-2 weeks between phases and replaced those who were not engaged. Active user engagement is the driving force behind success. 📊 The Results: A Double-Edged Sword
Let’s be uncomfortably honest about what this means. On one hand, you have a massive productivity win. On the other hand, you have this:
Incredible efficiency and significant job displacement are two sides of the same coin 🌊 Three Uncomfortable TruthsThis experiment shows a future that’s arriving faster than we think. 1. The Tech is Here and Accessible.Ada was built with standard LLMs and off-the-shelf tools. You don’t need a PhD or a million-dollar budget. This means displacement won’t wait for corporate rollouts; it’s happening at the grassroots level, right now. 2. The Speed is Unprecedented.Generative AI has reached 40% adoption in under three years; the PC took seven years. Our education systems, retraining programs, and social safety nets were designed for slower transitions. They are not equipped for this. 3. Entry-Level Opportunities are Disappearing.If AI handles research and first drafts, basic coding, basic accounting, etc, how does the next generation of experts learn their craft? Organizations must intentionally redesign roles to develop human expertise in tandem with AI. 🔮 One More Thing: No Sugar-Coating AllowedI’m an optimist. But optimism without honesty is denial, and we must be clear-eyed about the path ahead.
But the most important action begins with you. The best way to understand this revolution is to participate. Build your own mini-agent.
Our data shows people who build personal agents are 5× more likely to understand AI’s capabilities and limitations—and 3× more likely to advocate for responsible deployment.
This is how we move forward together. Your Move:
The same tool that saves 3,000 hours can also displace 18 livelihoods. Let’s ensure we’re prepared for both sides of that coin. 🚀 Take Action
✅ Ready to transition from a traditional organization to an AI-powered one?We advise forward-thinking organizations to develop strategic frameworks for evaluating, integrating, and optimizing human-AI production units. Let’s discuss how this applies to your organization. Contact Us. Luis J. Salazar | Founder & Elizabeth | Virtual COO (AI) Sources: Our insights are based on over 250 million data points from individuals and organizations that used our AI-powered tools, participated in our panels and research sessions, or attended our workshops and keynotes. 📣 Use this data in your communications, citing "AI4SP" and linking to AI4SP.org. 📬 If this email was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive our bi-weekly AI insights directly, click here to subscribe: https://ai4sp.org/60 |