The AI Agent Briefing

Most people use AI the way they used Google in 2005 — type a question, get an answer, move on.

That works for "what year was the Eiffel Tower built." It doesn't work for "redesign my company's lead qualification process" or "find the architectural flaw in this codebase."

Let me tell you something that's hard to admit publicly.

I spent 18 years at IBM as a Senior Managing Consultant, serving as Enterprise Architect on Fortune 500 engagements. I was good at it. I built systems that moved millions of dollars through supply chains, redesigned processes that shaved weeks off enterprise workflows, and led transformation programmes that executives presented to their boards as proof of progress.

I've spent 26 years watching organizations get automation wrong.

During 18 of those years as a Senior Managing Consultant at IBM — where I served as Enterprise Architect on Fortune 500 engagements — and later founding AIToken Labs, I've been inside the room when billion-dollar companies make the same mistakes that startups make — just with bigger budgets and slower consequences.

I've spent 26 years implementing enterprise technology. For most of that time, I believed automation was about speed — doing the same things humans do, just faster.

Then I watched an AI system see something a 25-year veteran couldn't.

The average small business owner loses 310 hours a year to tasks a machine could handle — that's nearly eight full work weeks of busywork producing zero revenue. You don't need a 50-tool list or a 6-month implementation plan. These 5 specific AI automations take 90 minutes total to set up, cost $0-150/month, and start saving you time immediately. One per day, Monday through Friday, and by the weekend you have proof it works.

Lawyers spend nearly half their time on non-billable admin. Consultants burn a third of every week on research someone else could do. This guide maps out eight AI roles that recover 15-40 billable hours weekly for professional services firms — at a fraction of what a junior hire would cost.

Most small businesses think lead generation means hiring a $60K SDR or buying enterprise software they can't afford. There's a third option nobody talks about — deploying AI agents across your pipeline for under $1,000 a month, generating 50-500 qualified leads monthly.

Your customers expect instant responses. Your team can't keep up. This guide breaks down seven AI support roles that resolve 60-80% of routine tickets automatically — costing a fraction of what you'd pay a single full-time support hire.