You're Not an AI Agent. But You Should Learn from One.
The evolution of AI agents mirrors how we make decisions in life. Simple tasks? The default cycle of thought-then-action is fine. But for anything complex, we need a deeper architecture.
LLM agents started as a loop: Think. Act. Done. Good for simple tasks. Shallow. Predictable. But they hit a wall with complexity. They couldn't plan. Couldn't delegate. Couldn't remember.
The shift to "deep agents" is about combining four simple ideas into a powerful stack. A planning tool, sub-agents, a file system, and a detailed prompt.
Your brain is the planning tool. It creates a to-do list, a goal, a long-term plan. It keeps the mission in context, so you don't get lost in the weeds.
Your team, your mentors, your friends—these are your sub-agents. You delegate to them. Each operates with a specialized context, a unique skill set. They can go deep on a problem without overwhelming your main focus.
Your notebook, your calendar, your memory—that's your file system. You offload context. You don't try to hold everything in your mind at once. You write things down, trusting you can retrieve them when needed. This frees up cognitive load for what matters now.
Your core values, your personal philosophy, your first principles—that’s your detailed system prompt. It’s the instruction set for your life. It guides your decision-making and ensures your actions are aligned with your deepest goals. The more detailed and robust the prompt, the more effective the agent.
The more I learn about how GenAI works, the more I learn about decision-making in life. The principles of agentic behavior are the same principles of a well-lived life. Stop trying to handle complex problems with a simple loop. Build a system. Write down your plan. Delegate what you can. Offload your thoughts. And be clear about your mission.