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- 🤖 2025. The Year of Agentic AI
Read time: 4 minutes
Hi everyone! it’s Sam—your guide to the AI frontier, back with another week of AI Simplified. Join me as I cut through the noise and break down the important news from this week in AI.
It’s been a very exciting start to the new year and there is so much to unpack!
Word on the block is that we are in the Era of Agentic AI.
But what exactly is that?
Is it so different from me just using Chatgpt on my phone?
I know you’re asking: What can it do for me?
Well, let’s buckle up and dive in. The world is changing fast, and I’m here to make sure you’re not just keeping up to date, but you’re ahead of the game.
🗞️ News:
🦾 OpenAI drops its first Agentic tool: “Tasks”
⚔️ Google’s vs Microsoft: AI for everyone
💡 Is AI Making Us Dumber?: or, in some cases, way smarter?
🐣 Back to the Basics: Create Your Own Task in ChatGPT
✍️ Prompt Tutorial: Schedule a Weekly Self-Care Routine
⚡️ 3 AI tools to supercharge your productivity
📸 AI Images of the Day: Underwater Rooftop Bistro
🗞️ News:
🦾 OpenAI drops its first Agentic tool: “Tasks”
OpenAI just rolled out Tasks, a beta feature that lets ChatGPT schedule reminders or perform actions at specific times—like a personal assistant that never sleeps.
Set & Forget: Need a daily 7am news briefing? Passport renewal reminder in six months? Now ChatGPT’s on it.
Beyond Real-Time: Before, ChatGPT only answered you in the moment. Tasks gives it future-oriented power: it can plan, schedule, and “remember” your requests.
The Big Vision: This is a tiny glimpse of “Operator” and “Caterpillar,” rumored agentic features where ChatGPT can search data, analyze problems, and notify you when it’s done—kind of like a coworker that never complains about coffee runs.
Bottom line: This marks a huge leap for ChatGPT, but it’s still in beta, so don’t rely on it for your boss’s crucial meeting reminders… just yet.
You can learn more about it here →
⚔️ Google’s vs Microsoft: AI for everyone
Microsoft and Google are staging an epic duel in your office suite, whether you like it or not.
Microsoft’s Move: Copilot is coming to Microsoft 365 for an extra $3 monthly. Existing users can stick to their old price until renewal, or switch to a new “Classic” plan. So if you want AI but prefer to dip your toes in slowly, Microsoft’s giving you options.
Google’s Gemini Blitz: For an added $2 a month, you get Gemini inside Workspace—no opt-out. They’re bundling advanced chat, NotebookLM, and a suite of research tools. Existing Business accounts get it automatically, with Enterprise folks next in line.
Forced AI Adoption?: It’s basically the biggest push of AI into everyday workflows we’ve ever seen. If you’re not on one, you’re probably on the other… or you’re that rebel dev using Claude on the side (my personal favorite), which is also cool.
This is the future: This “resistance is futile” approach means AI will be baked into your daily routine—email, docs, video calls. Embrace it, or get left behind.
You can read more about it here →
💡 Is AI Making Us Dumber?: or, in some cases, way smarter?
You may have seen that viral study claiming heavy AI use can lower critical thinking—especially in today’s youth. But like many things in AI, there’s more nuance here.
Cognitive Offloading: We rely on calculators (and AI) to do the “hard stuff,” sometimes at the expense of our own mental muscle.
Classroom Shake-Up: Teachers are shifting to in-class essays and presentations, so students can’t outsource everything to ChatGPT.
Positive Side: A study in Nigeria found that structured, teacher-led AI tutoring can yield two years of learning gains in just six weeks!!, especially for those lagging behind.
Moral of the story: AI can either be your cheat sheet or your personal tutor. The difference? Whether someone (a teacher, a mentor, or even you) is guiding how you use it.
You can read more about it here →
🐣 Back to the Basics: Create Your Own Task in ChatGPT
Ready to experiment with Tasks in ChatGPT?
Check if you’re a Plus, Team, or Pro subscriber.
Switch to the “4o with scheduled tasks” model in your picker.
Give it a request: “Remind me to prep my office presentation every Monday at 3pm” or “Send me a daily weather update at 7am.”
Just remember, it’s a beta feature. Keep a backup reminder somewhere else if it’s mission-critical!
✍️ Prompt Tutorial: Schedule a Weekly Self-Care Routine
Objective: Have ChatGPT remind you about a 30-minute self-care session each week, complete with simple ideas that don’t break the bank.
"Hey ChatGPT, please schedule a recurring task every Wednesday at 7 PM
for a relaxing self-care session. Each reminder should include:
1. A 10-minute calm-down activity (like easy yoga or breathing exercises)
2. One low-cost pampering idea (like a DIY face mask or Epsom salt bath)
3. A motivational quote to keep me going!"Feel free to tell ChatGPT to factor in weather or location if you like those optional extras (“If it’s sunny, suggest an outdoor walk”).
⚡️ 3 AI tools to supercharge your productivity
Freepik AI Image Generator
Stunning art designs created with image generator.
Prismix
Your AI Social Media Manager.
Sora by OpenAI
AI-powered visual storytelling(video generations).
📸 AI Images of the Day: Underwater Rooftop Bistro
Picture a stylish rooftop bar that’s suddenly submerged in clear turquoise waters. Jellyfish and neon fish drift between the tables as guests sip glowing cocktails on floating chairs. The skyline is visible through the softly rippling water above, and everything shimmers like a dreamy sci-fi wonderland.🫡 We are here for you
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