How to Make AI Models like ChatGPT Work For You?

Most people think learning ChatGPT prompts is enough.

But the real shift is already here. AI agents don’t just respond, they replace.

This post breaks down the evolution from LLMs to workflows to agents, so you don’t fall behind the people who already figured it out.

Most people using AI today are stuck at Level 1.

They think “ChatGPT is smart, it helps me write things.”

But that’s just the beginning. If you understand the difference between LLMs, AI workflows, and AI agents, you unlock a whole new level of productivity.

Let’s break it down.

Level 1: Large Language Models (LLMs) – The Predictive Brain

This is what powers ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.

At the core, an LLM is just a super-smart text predictor.‍

You give it an input → It gives you an output.‍

Example:
You ask, “Write an email to schedule a meeting.” It writes one.
You ask, “Give me 10 birthday gift ideas.” It does.

But here’s what it can’t do:

• Access your calendar
• Know what you like or dislike
• Take action for you

LLMs are smart but passive. They’re like a genius friend who only speaks when spoken to and forgets everything when you close the tab.

Level 2: AI Workflows – When You Start Automating

Now things get more useful.

An AI workflow is when you tell AI to do a task step-by-step.

Example: Every morning at 8 a.m., check my Google Calendar → summarize my day → send me an email summary.

You’re still in charge. You define the path. AI just follows it.

Real examples:

• Creators: summarize news articles → write a post → auto-publish to LinkedIn
• Students: take notes → convert to flashcards → schedule a quiz
• Job seekers: scan job listings → filter by location → write tailored cover letters

The big idea is that you create a rule. AI follows it.

If your workflow depends on things staying exactly the same and something unexpected happens (like a change in schedule or missing data), your automation will fail, because it wasn’t designed to handle new situations

Workflows are smart automation. But you’re still the one making all the decisions - defining the steps, writing the logic, and adjusting things when they break.

Level 3: AI Agents – The Real Gamechanger

Here’s where AI gets truly useful.

AI agents don’t just follow instructions but figure out the best steps on their own.

You give them a goal, not a task.

Example: You say: “Plan a weekend trip to Paris.”

The agent might:

• Check your calendar for free days
• Look up cheap flights
• Compare hotels
• Generate an itinerary
• Update you if plans change

That’s not a workflow but an autonomous system reasoning, acting, and improving, without you mapping every step. AI agents do three things:

1. Reason: “What’s the best way to solve this?”
2. Act: Use tools (calendar, APIs, websites) to get things done.
3. Iterate: Improve the output based on feedback or goals.

This is what makes agents different.

Still confused? Use this cheat sheet:

Why this matters (especially now)

Most people are still using AI like a notepad, helpful, but only when you type something in.

But AI is evolving fast. We’re entering a world where AI won’t just respond to prompts. It will take initiative, make decisions, and deliver outcomes.

That means the real power lies in giving AI a goal and letting it figure out the path.

If you’re a PM, creator, founder, or student, this shift matters.

You don’t need to learn how to build AI. You need to learn how to think with AI.

Ask yourself: What do I want done?

Then let the AI figure out how to make it happen without you scripting every step.

Three things to try this week:

1. Write down one task you do repeatedly. Ask: can a workflow automate this?
2. Try a tool like Make, Zapier, or Notion AI to build your first automation.
3. Imagine a goal (e.g., “Send a weekly update to my team”), and ask: could an agent eventually handle this start to finish?

The Bottom Line

The future of AI doesn’t belong to people who write better prompts. It belongs to those who define better outcomes. Anyone can ask ChatGPT to draft an email.

But the real power is in saying: “Plan my week,” “Build me a content pipeline,” or “Fix my churn.”

Start with workflows. Then step up, give AI a goal, let it figure out the path, and watch what happens. The people who master this early will look like they have superpowers.

While everyone else is still stuck typing prompts and praying for good output.