Are current AI agents a scam?

Lately, we’ve been surrounded by advertising slogans like “Automate your workflow with an AI agent!” or “The AI agent will prepare your report and upload it to Excel automatically.”

It sounds like a magical tool that does all the work for you. But is it really that simple?

AI Agents in Practice

Many of today’s “AI agents” are created on platforms like n8n, Make.com, or other no-code tools. These platforms offer user-friendly interfaces and the ability to connect to various services via API. However, many people fall for the illusion that a few clicks are all it takes to fully automate a process without any technical knowledge.

The reality is more complex. Setting up these agents requires at least a basic understanding of how APIs work, how to work with data structures, how HTTP requests are sent, and so on. If something goes wrong, users without technical backgrounds are completely lost.

Personal Experience

While testing one of these tools, I tried to create a simple image processing automation using AI. The goal was for the system to take input from Excel, have ChatGPT generate an image, upload it to Runway, and then generate a video from that image.

Instead of a smooth process, I encountered numerous complications. To get anything to work, I had to use a series of “hacks.” And the result? Wasted time and frustration.

It ended up being more efficient to code the entire process manually. That way, I had full control and could create a robust solution tailored for professional use without relying on external platforms.

What Should a True AI Agent Be Capable Of?

A real AI agent should be a tool that can automatically handle complex tasks with minimal configuration. Ideally, it would communicate directly with services via MCP servers, without the need for complicated integration, manual debugging, or development knowledge. However, such a vision is still far from being accessible to the general public.

Current Solutions

If you need reliable automation that truly works and meets the specific needs of your business, we recommend going the route of custom development. At PFP Innovations, we build web and mobile applications as well as automation tools that are not limited by the capabilities of no-code platforms.

Unlike generic solutions, we create systems precisely tailored to your operations, saving you time, money, and frustration.