Guide
AI 101: How AI agents actually work
What an AI agent is, how it reaches your apps, what it costs, and which kind fits your business.
01
What an AI agent is, and what it runs on
02
Claude and ChatGPT against OpenClaw and Hermes
03
When one agent is enough, and when you need a team
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Get the AI 101 guide
Seven pages. Five topics, in the order you'll need them.
One email with the guide. Unsubscribe in one click.
What the guide covers
Connected doesn't mean allowed.
Checked against vendor documentation and pricing pages, September 2026.
66
tools checked
51 could finish the job, 7 had no connector at all
4×
the tokens of a chat
What an agent uses, in Anthropic's data
$20
a month to start
Claude Pro or ChatGPT Plus, US pricing
An agent can only do what each tool's connector allows. Xero only reads; QuickBooks creates and sends invoices. The guide shows what to check before you pick a platform.
What's inside
Five topics, in the order you'll need them.
01
What an AI agent is
Software you give a goal. It plans the steps, uses your tools, checks each result and keeps going until the job is done.
02
Closed platform or open source
Claude and ChatGPT against OpenClaw and Hermes Agent: what each costs, where your data goes, and who keeps it running.
03
Which one fits your business
When a closed platform is enough, when open source is worth the engineering, and when one agent needs a team.
Written from running my own team of agents.
I run a team of agents with Arthur as the lead. This guide covers the basics every business owner should know before choosing a platform. Every figure is sourced to the vendor's own documentation, as of September 2026.
Julio Cornavaca · cornavaca.com
