ChatGPT Agent Mode: Cool AI Trick or Total Time Sink?

ChatGPT agent rolled out last week. Basically, Agent is a visual AI browser that interacts with the web and runs queries based on your prompts. It can also connect with Gmail, GitHub, and your calendar.

Think of Agent as like an AI-powered VA. It comes as part of ChatGPT Plus.

I tried Agent mode for a few hours. I prompted Agent to research triathlon races in Ireland, find and buy creatine powder, and review my YouTube channel and LinkedIn content ideas.

And the results?

Watching Agent thinking was both under and overwhelming, like a lot of early tech.

The agent took ages to find relevant triathlon races in Ireland and struggled to find any that were open. Watching Agent interact with the web was fun, but it was also slooow.

After a few minutes of drumming my fingers, I opened a second tab and did it myself, which defeats the point. Frankly, I'd have saved more time researching these races myself versus waiting for an AI browser to research and refresh a niche job. Grade F

Agent mode did much better sourcing creatine power. It added budget-friendly powder to a cart. Then, it prompted me to "take over" and input my credit card details. As someone who hates online shopping, that was altogether more useful. Grade B

Agent also reviewed what I've been recording videos about for YouTube (vibe coding). It summarized my transcripts and prepared a neat little content plan. However, I found the content ideas somewhat generic and decided not to use them. But I could see how a job like this could help a researcher parse a YouTube rather than wading through a few hours of “like and subscribe” content. Grade C+

I also asked the Agent to find some job vacancies on LinkedIn. It prompted me to log into LinkedIn first. I found the AI browser painful to use.

Then, Agent went to work and prepared a neat list of various vacancies. I wasn’t sure if this was any faster than me hitting the jobs tab directly on LinkedIn, but setting up this search as a recurring task could help a job hunter. Grade B-

I prompted Agent other times and was amused to see it finds parts of the web maddeningly frustrating.

It struggled with CAPCHAs, stumbled into 404s, clicked on the wrong link, and went backwards and forwards between sites. I wanted to take over and tell it, “No ChatGPT, here look, let me show you the way!”

Using ChatGPT Agent reminded me of powering up a PC circa 1996. Those early model clunky yellow IBM machines took an age to boot up. They were loud and ugly machines.

They also felt excited to use.

And those clunky yellow machines got faster, quieter, smaller, and more efficient… and ultimately morphed into phones we take for granted.

I'd expect the same from AI offerings like Agent mode. Sure, it's more of a novelty than a time-saver today, but AI browsers and agents will dramatically change how we interact with the web in a year or two.

CAPCHAs and cookie consents be damned!

As useful as AI is, I don’t see it replacing my newsletter any time soon. That’s a cornerstone of my business. It’s also something I enjoy writing and running.

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