Agent Watchby Helix Lab

Why this exists

AI tools can now do real work. Most people still just chat.

That's the AI gap: from asking a chatbot to handing AI real work.

Four views of AI · same moment
  1. 6BBarely touched it
  2. 1–2BFree chatbot · “A better Google.”
  3. 20MPro coders: AI does months of work in hours
  4. 5KLab insiders: AI that discovers new science

After Andrej Karpathy, 11 Oct 2026

How to cross it

The 7 layers are the map of any AI tool: the AI behind it, how it works with you, what it connects to, what it knows how to do, the app you open, how much it does on its own, and what stays your call.

Assist, Augment and Adapt say how much of the work AI carries:

  • AssistHelps you think, you decide
  • AugmentDoes steps, you check
  • AdaptWorks within your rules, you can stop it

And every page ends the same way: What stays yours. The decisions you keep, in one plain line.

From

“A better Google.”

To

“This does part of my job, and I know which part stays mine.”

Helping knowledge workers decide what AI should do and what stays human.

Read the guide →Stacks by role →Compare tools →Try Craft

Start here

The 7 layers of AI at work

AI tools change every week, and the names blur. These seven layers answer different questions, so you can make sense of any tool, including ones that haven't launched yet. They're related, but they aren't interchangeable. The AI is the intelligence. You stay responsible for the result.

The 7 layers of AI at work

Related, but not interchangeable. The AI is the intelligence. You stay responsible for the result.

  1. 1The AI behind itModelWhat intelligence is doing the thinking?Claude · GPT · Gemini · Grok
  2. 2How it works with youHarnessHow is that intelligence equipped to work?You ask, it answers · It does steps, you review · It works in your files
  3. 3What it can connect toConnectionsWhat can it reach?Apps · files · email · connections
  4. 4What it knows how to doSkillsWhat reusable method can it perform?Research summary · decision memo · stakeholder brief
  5. 5The app you openProductWhich implementation am I opening?ChatGPT · Claude Cowork · Copilot
  6. 6How much it does on its ownAgencyHow much of the work does AI carry?Helps you think · Does steps, you check · Works on its own
  7. 7What stays your callMy roleWhere do I remain responsible?You make the call · You review as it goes · You can stop it

Quick map

Plain label first, Craft term second

#Plain labelCraft termThe question it answers
1The AI behind itModelWhat intelligence is doing the thinking?
2How it works with youHarnessHow is that intelligence equipped to work?
3What it can connect toConnectionsWhat can it reach?
4What it knows how to doSkillsWhat reusable method can it perform?
5The app you openProductWhich implementation am I opening?
6How much it does on its ownAgencyHow much of the work does AI carry?
7What stays your callMy roleWhere do I remain responsible?

Start here

Start with what you need done

You don't need to learn any new terms first. Pick the job, see which tools suit it, and how much to let the AI do.

Write a weekly status updateWeekly status without the Sunday scrambleTurn a folder of notes into a briefBoard briefing in an afternoonSee all jobs →Start from the work you already owe someone

Only used ChatGPT? Start here →

New to AI at work?

Five steps

  1. 1
    Name the job, and what must stay yours

    Layer 7: What stays your call

    Pick one piece of work you already owe someone: a brief, a status update, a proposal. Note what must stay with you, such as the decision, the tone or the client risk.

    Use casesExamples

  2. 2
    Decide how much help the work needs

    Layer 6: How much it does on its own

    Do you want help thinking, help carrying several steps, or help changing files inside rules you set? Most knowledge work sits in the first two.

    Filter the tracker

  3. 3
    Choose how it works with you

    Layer 2: How it works with you

    That answer usually points to the right type of tool: you ask and it answers, it does several steps for you to review, or it works directly in your files.

    Choosing how it works with youYou ask vs several steps vs filesCompare tools

  4. 4
    Check what it can reach

    Layer 3: What it can connect to

    Look at which apps, files and email it can connect to, and whether it can keep working while you're away. Then decide whether that's right for this job.

    What are connections?Skills vs connections vs pluginsCompare tools

  5. 5
    Only then compare the apps and prices

    Layer 5: The app you open

    Now compare plans, prices and where each one runs. Keep a copy of anything important before the AI changes it.

    Claude vs Copilot for real workCompare toolsWhat changed

Starting point

Already use ChatGPT? Here's how to read this site

If you mostly ask ChatGPT questions and copy the answers into your work, you're using AI in the simplest way: you ask, it answers, and it helps you think. That's a good place to be, and the decisions stay with you.

The next step is a tool that does several steps for you to review: it works through a task such as drafting a status update from your notes, and you check the result before anything goes out.

  1. Filter the tracker to It does several steps, you review.
  2. Check Can it open and edit your files? and What it can connect to for each.
  3. Try one on a single real job, such as the weekly status update.

Tools in that group on Agent Watch include Claude Cowork, ChatGPT Work, Microsoft 365 Copilot + Copilot Cowork, Notion Agent / Custom Agents, and Perplexity Comet.

Compare tools →

Read next

Comparisons, explainers and how-tos

See all guides →

The AI is the intelligence. How it works with you decides what it can do. What it connects to decides what it can reach. Methods make it repeatable. How much it does on its own sets its share of the work. You remain responsible for the result.

Compare tools →Try Craft free →

Need the glossary? Plain words and Craft terms →