Productivity

Not all AI agents are created equal — and the framework you choose shapes your system's intelligence, adaptability, and real-world value. As we transition from monolithic LLM apps to 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, developers and organizations are seeking frameworks that can support 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴, and 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. I created this 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 to help you navigate the rapidly growing ecosystem. It outlines the 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 of the leading platforms — including LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, Semantic Kernel, CrewAI, and more. Here’s what stood out during my analysis: ↳ 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵 is emerging as the go-to for 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 — perfect for self-improving, traceable AI pipelines.  ↳ 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗔𝗜 stands out for 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺-𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, useful in project management, healthcare, and creative strategy.  ↳ 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗞𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗹 quietly brings 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲-𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 to the agent conversation — a key need for regulated industries.    ↳ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗚𝗲𝗻 simplifies the build-out of 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 through robust context handling and custom roles.  ↳ 𝗦𝗺𝗼𝗹𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 is refreshingly light — ideal for 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝗳𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.  ↳ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗚𝗣𝗧 continues to shine as a sandbox for 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 and open experimentation. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: - Are you building enterprise software with strict compliance needs?   - Do you need agents to collaborate like cross-functional teams?   - Are you optimizing for memory, modularity, or speed to market? This visual guide is built to help you and your team 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. Curious what you're building — and which framework you're betting on?

Here’s what I wish someone told me earlier: You don’t have to earn rest. I used to grind through 60+ hour weeks thinking it would all be “worth it.” But no hustling is worth your mental, physical, & emotional health. Here’s what slowing down has taught me: ↳ If you don’t step off the hedonic treadmill, no one will do it for you ↳ Your best ideas rarely come when you’re exhausted ↳ Rest actually drives productivity The hustle culture is overrated. And if you actually want to thrive, you can’t be running on empty so try this: ↳ Close the laptop after 5 ↳ Go for the walk during lunch ↳ So take the break every 2-3 hours ↳ Set your phone to DND after 8 pm - 10 am Your future self will thank you. Everything needs to pause at some point (yes, including you) 🙏🏼

"Despite $30–40 billion in enterprise investment into GenAI, this report uncovers a surprising result in that 95% of organizations are getting zero return. The outcomes are so starkly divided across both buyers (enterprises, mid-market, SMBs) and builders (startups, vendors, consultancies) that we call it the GenAI Divide. Just 5% of integrated AI pilots are extracting millions in value, while the vast majority remain stuck with no measurable P&L impact. This divide does not seem to be driven by model quality or regulation, but seems to be determined by approach. Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are widely adopted. Over 80 percent of organizations have explored or piloted them, and nearly 40 percent report deployment. But these tools primarily enhance individual productivity, not P&L performance. Meanwhile, enterprise grade systems, custom or vendor-sold, are being quietly rejected. Sixty percent of organizations evaluated such tools, but only 20 percent reached pilot stage and just 5 percent reached production. Most fail due to brittle workflows, lack of contextual learning, and misalignment with day-to-day operations. From our interviews, surveys, and analysis of 300 public implementations, four patterns emerged that define the GenAI Divide: • Limited disruption: Only 2 of 8 major sectors show meaningful structural change • Enterprise paradox: Big firms lead in pilot volume but lag in scale-up • Investment bias: Budgets favor visible, top-line functions over high-ROI back office • Implementation advantage: External partnerships see twice the success rate of internal builds The core barrier to scaling is not infrastructure, regulation, or talent. It is learning. Most GenAI systems do not retain feedback, adapt to context, or improve over time."

When I spoke at the Naval Academy, they introduced me to a concept called "Commander’s Intent." It’s a military concept. But most leaders don’t realize their teams desperately need it. Here’s how it works: Before every mission, the commanding officer lays out one thing clearly— this is what success looks like. No endless strategy decks.  No overcomplicated objectives.  Just a clear outcome everyone can rally around. JFK gave one of the best examples in 1961:  "We will put a man on the moon and bring him safely home." That was it. No roadmap. No play-by-play instructions. Just a single, undeniable goal. And yet, that clarity was enough. It aligned an entire nation,  Mobilized thousands of people,  And drove one of the most ambitious missions in history. That’s Commander’s Intent in action. And it’s exactly what most teams are missing. When teams are divided, leaders assume it’s about personality clashes, office politics, or competing priorities. But more often than not? It’s just a lack of clarity. Without a clear definition of success, people start fighting over their own agendas. They argue over who's right instead of focusing on "what’s right." High-performing teams don’t have time for that.  They know exactly where they’re going. So if your team feels divided, don’t play referee.  Set the mission. Make the goal crystal clear. Because teams don’t fall apart from too many opinions.  They fall apart when no one knows what "done" looks like.

If you are an AI engineer, thinking how to choose the right foundational model, this one is for you 👇 Whether you’re building an internal AI assistant, a document summarization tool, or real-time analytics workflows, the model you pick will shape performance, cost, governance, and trust. Here’s a distilled framework that’s been helping me and many teams navigate this: 1. Start with your use case, then work backwards. Craft your ideal prompt + answer combo first. Reverse-engineer what knowledge and behavior is needed. Ask: → What are the real prompts my team will use? → Are these retrieval-heavy, multilingual, highly specific, or fast-response tasks? → Can I break down the use case into reusable prompt patterns? 2. Right-size the model. Bigger isn’t always better. A 70B parameter model may sound tempting, but an 8B specialized one could deliver comparable output, faster and cheaper, when paired with: → Prompt tuning → RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) → Instruction tuning via InstructLab Try the best first, but always test if a smaller one can be tuned to reach the same quality. 3. Evaluate performance across three dimensions: → Accuracy: Use the right metric (BLEU, ROUGE, perplexity). → Reliability: Look for transparency into training data, consistency across inputs, and reduced hallucinations. → Speed: Does your use case need instant answers (chatbots, fraud detection) or precise outputs (financial forecasts)? 4. Factor in governance and risk Prioritize models that: → Offer training traceability and explainability → Align with your organization’s risk posture → Allow you to monitor for privacy, bias, and toxicity Responsible deployment begins with responsible selection. 5. Balance performance, deployment, and ROI Think about: → Total cost of ownership (TCO) → Where and how you’ll deploy (on-prem, hybrid, or cloud) → If smaller models reduce GPU costs while meeting performance Also, keep your ESG goals in mind, lighter models can be greener too. 6. The model selection process isn’t linear, it’s cyclical. Revisit the decision as new models emerge, use cases evolve, or infra constraints shift. Governance isn’t a checklist, it’s a continuous layer. My 2 cents 🫰 You don’t need one perfect model. You need the right mix of models, tuned, tested, and aligned with your org’s AI maturity and business priorities. ------------ If you found this insightful, share it with your network ♻️ Follow me (Aishwarya Srinivasan) for more AI insights and educational content ❤️

There’s more to AI than ChatGPT and DeepSeek… Here are 6 AI productivity tools I can’t stop using: 1. Perplexity (Personal Researcher) When I want in-depth answers to urgent questions, I use Perplexity more than Google these days. It’s like having your own 24/7 research assistant — I use it to do industry research, competitor analysis, fact-finding, and much more. https://www.perplexity.ai/ 2. Substrata (Dealmaking Assistant) High-stakes dealmaking can get complex, making it hard to have a clear understanding of how things are going. Substrata solves this by carefully evaluating all the signals (across your calls and emails) to understand who has the upper hand in a deal — and how to get it if you don’t. My company closed two massive deals this year (both Fortune 500 firms), and I used this tool a ton. https://www.substrata.me/ 3. Gamma (AI-Powered Presentations) Create infinite presentations, websites, and more in seconds with AI. It’s saved me hundreds of hours already, and the end results always look great. https://gamma.app/ 4. Claude (Idea Generator) I use Claude 90% of the time, and ChatGPT just 10%. Why? Claude’s writing sounds more human and is really good at giving easy-to-understand concepts. I use it to get ideas for carousels/infographics and improve my LinkedIn content. https://claude.ai/ 5. NotebookLM (Infinite Knowledgebase) This is the most underrated AI tool right now… You can combine all of your knowledge (PDFs, recordings, blog posts, etc) on a given subject in a single place and get instant hallucination-free answers when you search it. The best part? It’s 100% free (from Google). https://lnkd.in/gAfYp_Kb 6. Tango (Easy SOPs) Creating walkthroughs and SOPs for new hires is incredibly important—but equally tedious and time-consuming. This is by far the best tool for doing that (and creating any kind of how-to) that I’ve found. https://www.tango.ai/ … Those are my favorites. Which would you add?

Everyone talks about AI agents. But few actually show useful workflows. In today's episode, Harish Mukhami actually builds an AI employee: He builds an AI CS agent in just 62 minutes. 📌 Watch here: https://lnkd.in/eKbay8tu Also available on: Apple: https://lnkd.in/eAEVwr3u Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eyt7agKj Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e6KUXi_z Harish is the former CPO at LeafLink (valued at $760M) and Head of Product at Siri. Now, he is the CEO and founder of GibsonAI, which built the scalable database behind our AI agent. Here were my favorite takeaways: 1: Building an AI employee just took 62 minutes. Harish demonstrated creating a fully functional customer success agent using ChatGPT O3 Mini, Gibson AI, Cursor, and Crew AI. The system analyzes data, identifies churn risks, sends emails, and creates Jira tickets—all production-ready. 2: Follow a three-stage evolution for maximum adoption success. Start with dashboards for insights, move to AI recommendations with human approval, then progress to full automation. This builds organizational confidence while gradually removing humans from routine tasks. 3: Architecture planning upfront prevents weeks of technical debt later. Use reasoning models like O3 Mini to define data models and business logic before coding. This ensures clean integration with existing tools rather than building isolated prototypes. 4: Production infrastructure is becoming accessible to non-technical teams. AI-powered databases auto-provision environments, generate APIs, and handle scaling without DevOps knowledge. Gibson deployed production-grade infrastructure in <3 mins. 5: MCP protocols eliminate the need to context-switch between tools. Model Context Protocol connects databases to code editors, letting you manage everything through natural language. Complex workflows across multiple tools become simple prompts. 6: Multi-agent frameworks make sophisticated automation accessible to PMs. Crew AI abstracts complexity that normally requires engineering expertise. Define specialized agents and orchestrate them like managing a human team with clear handoffs. 7: Any information worker role can now be automated. The same framework applies to SDRs, recruiters, and executive assistants. If your job involves data analysis and action-taking, it's automatable. 8: The PM skillset is evolving faster than most teams realize. Product managers who can architect agent workflows and design human-AI handoffs will have exponential impact. Natural language is becoming the primary interface for building software. 9: Development timelines have compressed from quarters to hours. The combination of reasoning models, AI infrastructure, and agent frameworks represents the biggest productivity shift since cloud computing for resource-constrained product teams.

Here’s another Pinterest image circulating SM designed to motivate you, but it falls short of any real value. Here’s why. Yesterday, a client of mine sent me the attached photo of this "List of Habits" and asked me for my opinion. My answer in one word:  Garbage. We've all seen that specific list of daily habits, "you're ahead of 99% of the population,” yada yada (and yada). Let’s debunk “The 99% Club Myth” once and for all and examine what the research shows: 1) "Deep Work: 4 hours daily" ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: According to Microsoft's 2023 Work Trend Index, 69% of employees struggle to find enough time for deep work. 💡 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Schedule two 60-minute distraction-free blocks daily (phone off, notifications disabled, door closed) rather than chasing the elusive 4-hour goal. 2.) "10,000 Steps Daily" ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: A 2023 JAMA Open study found that Americans average 4,800 steps daily. Only 7% of U.S. adults consistently achieve 10,000+ steps. 💡 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Focus on consistency by adding just 1,000 steps to your current baseline, then working up gradually, to reach health gains occurring between 4,000-7,500 steps. 3.) "Exercise 3x Weekly" ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: The 2023 American Heart Association Statistical Update shows just 24.2% of adults engage in adequate leisure-time physical activity. 💡 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Anchor physical activity to existing daily routines (like a 7-minute strength circuit after brushing teeth) to bypass motivation entirely. 4.) "Save 20% Per Paycheck" ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: According to The Bureau of Economic Analysis, the January 2024 report shows the current personal savings rate at 3.8%. 💡 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Automate a 5% savings contribution now (which already beats the national average), then increase by 1% every six months until you reach your target. 5.) "Sleep 8 Hours" ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: Gallup's 2023 sleep survey found Americans average 6.8 hours nightly, with only 31% regularly achieving 8+ hours. 💡 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Create a non-negotiable 30-minute wind-down ritual (no screens, dim lights, same time nightly) that signals your brain it's time to transition to rest. 6.) "Read 10 Pages Daily" ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸: Pew Research Center's 2023 reading survey found that 30% of Americans report not reading a book in the past year. Statista's 2023 media consumption data shows Americans spend an average of just 16.2 minutes daily reading books or e-books. 💡 𝗧𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: Place a book where you waste time (next to your phone charger, bathroom, TV remote) and commit to reading just one page before engaging with the distraction. 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗧: Creating unrealistic standards doesn't motivate—it discourages. The reality is that consistent, moderate #habits serve most people better than arbitrary perfection. Coaching can help; let's chat. Follow Joshua Miller

Stress? Here’s what actually works. Most "calm down tactics" fail because they're: ↳ Band-aids on deeper issues. ↳ Quick fixes that don't last. ↳ One-size-fits-all solutions. This list? It's not just tips. It's what I live by. Real-world guide to staying calm: (Backed by science, tested in real life) 1/ OVERTHINKING → WRITE ✍️ ↳ Gets your swirling thoughts out of your head. > 43% tamed. ↳ Makes them easier to handle.  ↳ Try this: 10 minutes of unfiltered writing. No editing, just release. 2/ UNINSPIRED → READ 📚 ↳ Gives your brain fresh ideas. ↳ Lets you escape for a bit > 68% stress relief.  ↳ Try this: 15 minutes reading anything non-work. Watch your mood shift. 3/ SCARED → TAKE A SMALL RISK 🎯 ↳ Teaches your brain you can handle discomfort. ↳ Builds confidence with every step. ↳ Try this: Do one tiny scary thing today. That's progress. 4/ STUCK → WALK 🚶 ↳ Boosts blood flow and clears your head. > 15% creativity boost. ↳ Helps new ideas come naturally. ↳ Try this: 10-minute phone-free walk. Let your mind wander. 5/ TIRED → SLEEP 😴 ↳ Exhaustion messes with focus and emotions. ↳ Rest resets your system > 54% alertness improvement.  ↳ Try this: Power nap or early bedtime. 6/ CONFUSED → ASK 💭 ↳ Talking out loud often brings clarity. > 70% clarity.  ↳ You don't have to figure it out alone. ↳ Try this: One clear question beats hours of confusion. 7/ FRUSTRATED → MOVE 💪 ↳ Movement helps release built-up tension. > 25% mood booster.  ↳ Physical action shifts your mood. ↳ Try this: Quick stretch or 10 jumping jacks. Feel the difference. 8/ BURNED OUT → TAKE A DAY OFF 🌳 ↳ Full rest helps your brain and body bounce back. > +60% productivity.  ↳ Time in nature helps even more. ↳ Try this: Schedule a real break. No screens, no guilt. 9/ IMPATIENT → REVIEW PROGRESS 📈 ↳ Looking back reminds you how far you've come. ↳ It helps you stay motivated. ↳ Try this: List 3 recent wins, no matter how small. 10/ UNMOTIVATED → REMEMBER YOUR "WHY" ⭐ ↳ Purpose gives your effort meaning. > +35% perseverance.  ↳ It helps you push through hard moments ↳ Try this: Picture who benefits from your work today. Bonus: These aren't quick fixes. ↳ Your emotions are signals, not problems. ↳ Each response is backed by science. ↳ Calm isn't about feeling better, it's about responding better. Remember: Your emotional state is temporary. Your response to it shapes everything. 💬 Which one resonates most? Share below ⇣ 🔖 Save this for your next tough moment ♻️ Share with someone who needs this today ➕ Follow Loren Rosario - Maldonado, PCC Rosario-Maldonado, PCC, for more science-backed leadership wisdom. 

High achievers don't need more motivation... They need better systems: Motivation is a mood. Systems are infrastructure. A well-built system works whether you feel like it or not. It gives you a repeatable way of doing the boring parts - And saves your energy for the work that actually matters. Here are 12 you can install today: 1. Batch Tasks ↳Handle email, admin, and messages in fixed blocks ↳Action: Pick two daily slots (AM + PM) and close inboxes the rest of the day 2. Two-Minute Rule ↳Tiny tasks create momentum if handled right away ↳Action: When a quick task pops up today, finish it instantly 3. Time-Block ↳Put deep work on the calendar first ↳Action: Reserve your peak 2-hour window tomorrow for one priority project 4. Build Templates ↳Outlines for agendas, reports, and replies save time and energy ↳Action: Create one template today for a task you repeat weekly 5. Automate Resets ↳Weekly and daily checkpoints prevent drift ↳Action: Block 30 minutes Friday for review + 5 minutes each morning to plan 6. Daily Shutdown ↳A shutdown routine marks work as "done" ↳Action: Write tomorrow's top 3 tasks, then close your laptop and leave the workspace 7. Environment Design ↳Make bad habits harder, good ones easier ↳Action: Put your phone in another room at night and set out what you need for the morning 8. Single-Tasking ↳Focus beats juggling ↳Action: Close extra tabs and set a 25-minute timer for one task only 9. Parking Lot ↳Capture stray ideas and tasks so your brain can stay clear ↳Action: Open a "Parking Lot" note on your phone and drop distractions there 10. Finish Lines ↳Define "done" to stop endless tweaking ↳Action: For your next task, write down what 'good enough' looks like before starting 11. Pre-Decide ↳Fewer daily choices = more bandwidth ↳Action: Decide tonight what you'll eat and when you'll exercise tomorrow 12. Daily Cleanup ↳Tiny resets keep clutter from building up ↳Action: End each day with 5 minutes clearing desk, files, and notes Which of these would make the biggest difference for you this week? --- ♻️ Share this to inspire others to build systems. And follow me George Stern for more.