Four tech giants want to give you an AI helper. They’ve even made them fuzzy and friendly. Apparently, the future of getting things done needs to be a little less intimidating. Welcome to Always On, a new series about always-on AI agents. So, what’s an always-on agent? Imagine asking a human or AI assistant: “Check my calendar and tell me what I need to prepare.” Then you add: “Do this every morning.” Once an AI agent has permission to see your calendar, it can make that a routine. You don’t have to open a fresh chat and ask the same question every day. A human assistant might occasionally need a reminder. With Dots, Bots, Muse or Duet, that’s what the routine is for. That’s the basic idea. An always-on agent is an AI helper that can keep working on a job, or return to it later, without you sitting there. It uses a computer or smart phone over the internet, so your laptop can be closed. It can remember useful details, work with apps you connect, and bring you results—or ask for help when it gets stuck. Depending on the agent and the access you give it, you might say: - “Give me a short briefing every morning before my first meeting.” - “Watch for a reply about that delivery and let me know.” - “Every Friday, pull together a list of what’s still unfinished.” - “Draft a follow-up to this customer so I can review it.” You choose the job and what the agent can access. It handles the steps it’s allowed to take and comes back to you for actions that need your approval. Think of it as a helper with a to-do list and permission to get started. For example, OpenAI calls its always-on agents Dots. Once you’ve connected your dot to your email and granted the necessary permissions, you can give it an instruction such as: “Every morning, check my inbox and summarize anything that needs a reply.” 🫡 Think of yourself as the general of a vast, very cute army of dots. You give the orders, explain when the work should happen, and decide what needs your approval. Your dot gets to work. No marching required.