AI
Agents Unleashed

• What an AI agent actually is — and why it's different from a regular chat
• How to give an AI a multi-step task and watch it work through it
• How to use Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini as simple agents for real tasks
• Why this feels like a big leap — and why it's more approachable than it sounds

You've been talking to AI so far.

An agent is AI that works for you.

Instead of answering one question at a time, an agent takes a goal — and figures out the steps to get there on its own.

Think of it like this: instead of asking "how do I plan a trip to Lisbon?" and then manually following every step yourself — an agent could research options, build an itinerary, draft a packing list, and write a summary. All from one instruction.

You don't need special software for this. Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini can all act as basic agents — today, on the free plan.

Here's what makes an agent different:

Normal AI chat:

You ask → AI answers → You ask again → AI answers again

Agent-style thinking:

You give a goal → AI breaks it into steps → AI works through them → AI delivers a result

You're still in charge. The AI just does more of the legwork.

This is sometimes called agentic behaviour — and it's already built into Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini. You just need to know how to trigger it.

You don't need to press a special button. The trick is how you phrase your request.

Instead of asking one narrow question, give the AI a broader goal with context — and ask it to think through the steps itself.

Here's the pattern:

That's it. The AI will plan its own approach, execute it step by step, and show you the work.

Some tools let you build on this over time with memory and saved context. But even in a single conversation, you can experience what agent-style AI feels like.

You're going to give all three AI chatbots the same agent-style goal — and see how each one approaches it.

Copy the prompt below, then paste it into each tool one by one.

Go to → claude.ai — start a new chat and paste the prompt.

Go to → chatgpt.com — start a new chat and paste the same prompt.

Go to → gemini.google.com — start a new chat and paste the same prompt.

Compare all three responses. Which one felt most like a plan? Which one surprised you?

Want to try your own goal instead? Here are some ideas:

• Plan a weekend trip to a city you've never visited
• Create a beginner fitness routine for someone with no equipment
• Draft a 30-day reading plan for a book genre you want to explore
• Prepare for a job interview in a field you're curious about
• Build a simple budget plan for a month of saving
• Design a meal plan for one week on a tight budget
• Create a learning path for a hobby you've always wanted to try

Look at how each AI organised its response — not just what it said.

Did it create sections? Label them by week? Include resources without you asking for specific ones?

Notice that you gave one goal — and the AI built a structure around it. That's the "aha" moment here: you didn't manage the steps. The AI did.

That's what makes this different from a regular question.

"Agent" is a spectrum, not a switch.

The simple version you tried here is just a well-prompted conversation. More advanced agents — like the kind used in tools such as Make.com (Beacon 25) — can take actions, use external data, and run on their own. But the thinking is the same: one goal, multiple steps, AI handles the flow.

You're still the boss.

Agents don't replace your judgment. They handle the legwork so you can focus on the decisions that matter.

You just experienced what it feels like when AI works through a goal — not just at a question.

That shift in how you give instructions? That's a superpower now.

Up next → Beacon 28: Your custom chatbot — where you'll build your own personalised Claude assistant that remembers who you are and what you need. 🙂