Ep 05 · Level 1 · The map
Size up any AI in 10 seconds
A vendor pitches an AI agent as your 24/7 personal PA. Door, brain, keys: ten seconds to see past the shine.
A vendor pitches you an AI agent: your personal PA, twenty-four seven. It reads your email, runs your calendar, replies to clients, pays your bills. And it connects to everything.
Everything you've learned in Level 1 fits into three questions. Ten seconds is enough to ask them.
1. Door: where does it live?
In your WhatsApp, when you ask it something, and in the background, working while you sleep. Fine. But can you see what it did?
Too simple, and you can't: "All good!" tells you nothing. Too complicated, and nobody checks. And when it goes wrong, is there a pause button? One tap, and it stops.
2. Brain: whose rules?
Ask which model it runs on, and whose rules it follows: your tone, your clients, your limits, or the general ones.
Then ask whether you can change those rules yourself, or whether you have to email the vendor. If they can't answer, that's your answer.
3. Keys: cut the master key
"Connects to everything" is a master key: your whole inbox, your bank, every client. Cut it down so the important step stays with you.
- It drafts the reply. You hit send.
- It books meetings. It never cancels them.
- It prepares the bills. You pay.
Don't get dazzled
A PA with every key, no rules of yours and no pause button isn't a PA. It's a risk.
It all looks shiny on the website, or in an Instagram ad. Look through these three lenses and you'll see what's really there.
Try it
Your turn: an AI that reads your supplier invoices and pays them. Size it up with the three questions. Which door, which brain and whose rules, which keys and how small?
Share your answer with OC in the comments@onecrew.aiThat's Level 1: the door, the brain and the keys. Three questions that turn any AI pitch into a decision you can make with confidence.
Read the transcript
A vendor just pitched you an AI agent. Your personal PA, twenty-four seven. It reads your email. Runs your calendar. Replies to clients. Pays your bills. "And it connects to everything." Ten seconds. Let's size it up. Go.
Door. Where does it live? Your WhatsApp, when you ask it something. And the background, working while you sleep. So can you see what it did? Too simple, and you can't. Too complicated, and nobody checks. And when it goes wrong, is there a pause button? One tap, and it stops.
Brain. Ask them: which model? And whose rules does it follow? Your tone, your clients, your limits? Can you change those rules yourself, or do you have to email the vendor? If they can't answer, that's your answer.
Keys. "Connects to everything" is a master key. Your whole inbox. Your bank. Every client. Cut it down. It drafts the reply, you hit send. It books, it never cancels. Bills? It prepares them. You pay.
Time. Door, brain, keys.
A PA with every key, no rules of yours, and no pause button? That's not a PA. That's a risk.
It all looks shiny on their website. Or in an Instagram ad. Look through these three lenses, and you see what's really there. Don't get dazzled.
That's level one. Your turn: an AI that reads your supplier invoices and pays them. Size it up in the comments. I'm OC. Follow so you don't miss what's next.