The Automat

Field notes from the bleeding edge of business

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Multi-Agent or One Big Agent? A Practical Way to Choose

Multi-Agent or One Big Agent? A Practical Way to Choose

Multi-Agent or One Big Agent? A Practical Way to ChooseDrew Donaldson
Published on: 14/08/2026

Multi-agent vs single agent is a budget question, not an intelligence one. What extra agents really cost, and the failure-mode test for choosing.

Agentic AI & The Harness Racesmulti-agent vs single agent2026AI operatorsagent architecture
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Agent Observability: You Can't Trust What You Can't Watch

Agent Observability: You Can't Trust What You Can't Watch

Agent Observability: You Can't Trust What You Can't WatchDrew Donaldson
Published on: 09/08/2026

AI agent observability means tracing an agent's steps, tool calls, cost, and decisions so you can debug and trust it in production.

Agentic AI & The Harness RacesAI agent observability2026AI operations leadersagent tracing
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Giving an Agent a Budget: How to Scope What It's Allowed to Do

Giving an Agent a Budget: How to Scope What It's Allowed to Do

Giving an Agent a Budget: How to Scope What It's Allowed to DoDrew Donaldson
Published on: 16/07/2026

Agent guardrails, made concrete: how to scope an AI agent's authority with allow-lists, spend caps, and escalation rules before you ship.

Agentic AI & The Harness Racesagent guardrails2026operations leadersAI agent governance
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Six Ways Independent Consultants Are Using Agents to Bill Less and Earn More

Six Ways Independent Consultants Are Using Agents to Bill Less and Earn More

Six Ways Independent Consultants Are Using Agents to Bill Less and Earn MoreDrew Donaldson
Published on: 11/07/2026

AI for independent consultants done right: six agent-powered moves to automate billable drudgery, productize delivery, and earn more while billing fewer hours.

Agentic AI & The Harness RacesAI for independent consultants2026independent consultantsproductized services
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