SAN FRANCISCO: Last Friday, Sky Yang, 22, the CEO of an AI startup named Imagine AI, left a Chinese New Year celebration early to check on his latest project: an AI agent. These agents are designed to handle everything from emails to large work projects. Thanks to new AI tools, building them has become much easier, eliminating the need for intricate coding.
Yang currently has five of these agents demanding his attention. “I just wanted to go home,” he expressed. “I worried if everything was working and if there were any bugs because it can get quite complex, and I wanted to make sure it was on the right track.”
In the tech world, young programmers have built a reputation for their intense dedication. They’ve been known to work through the night or even make personal sacrifices to keep up with the latest trends. However, this time, there’s a sense of unease mixed with that ambition. Many are concerned they’re creating technology they don’t fully control and feel they’re still falling short.
Tejas Bhakta, 28, a startup founder in San Francisco, shared his feelings: “When my agents aren’t running, I feel anxious. I think I could be doing more with four agents, and I’m not.”
The interest in AI agents surged recently with the rise of OpenClaw, an open-source platform enabling users to create a network of AI agents. Alongside OpenClaw, new tools from companies like Cursor and OpenAI have emerged to enhance the development of agents.
Many AI developers express their concerns about missing out on new opportunities. Will Laverty, an 18-year-old software engineer who moved from Australia to San Francisco, had many texts piled up from family and friends. Although he felt bad for not replying, he decided to add his parents to a group chat with his AI agent, which helped bridge the gap. “It already knew what I wanted to say, so it could inform them without me having to think about it,” he said.
Since joining the AI startup Nox, Laverty has been inspired by 22-year-old CEO Molly Cantillon. She has personal agents that wake her up with motivational quotes, give stock advice, and manage her calendar. Laverty now relies on about four or five agents to run aspects of his life, all managed by a single “god agent.” This main agent oversees updates and even has access to his social media and banking information.
“I need to be using this technology to keep up with everyone else,” he remarked. Yang, too, became fascinated with building agents using tools from Anthropic, especially for networking at events like yacht parties in San Francisco.
However, constantly running these AI agents comes at a cost. Yang recently upgraded his subscription from $20 to $200 monthly to accommodate his growing needs. Laverty, wanting to avoid knowing his expenses, simply hasn’t checked.
A new initiative called Coral was launched by John Kim, Ashton Teng, and Quinn Leng in San Francisco, aimed at helping users work with OpenClaw. One of OpenClaw’s attractive features is letting engineers send commands via messaging apps, freeing them from traditional desktop environments. Leng finds himself often texting or sending voice commands to his AI agents, enjoying the flexibility. “It’s kind of addictive,” he admitted.
Teng, 28, noted that he has become so accustomed to talking to his AI in the office that he considered getting a specialized microphone to avoid disturbing his colleagues. He worries that his focus is waning as he switches between ideas more frequently.
There are downsides to this obsession. Laverty’s social media agent inexplicably deleted some of his posts, but he feels the efficiency gained is worth the risk. “I’d find it hard to go back to how things were before AI agents,” he shared. “Feeling like I’m behind has pushed me to explore how AI can fit into my life. It’s shaping who I am right now.”
