A maker shares what it took to ship a real AI agent
A Reddit user says they shipped an AI agent feature in a mobile productivity app for freelance contractors. The feature reads the user’s calendar and unpaid invoices, then suggests follow-ups or schedule changes for one-tap approval. The writer says adding a chat bubble with an API is not the same as building an AI agent that takes action. They received quotes from $35,000 to $180,000 and chose a $94,000 shop.
Key points
- The post describes an AI agent feature shipped inside a mobile app.
- The agent checks a calendar and unpaid invoices, then suggests next steps.
- The user approves actions with one tap instead of chatting back and forth.
- The writer says a simple chat API integration is not real AI agent work.
- They used past action-taking examples as a key test when choosing a development shop.
Quick term guide
- AI agent
- An AI program that can inspect information and suggest what to do next.
- contractors
- Outside companies or workers hired to do work for an organization or government.
- contractor
- A person or small business hired to do construction, repair, or trade work.
- follow-ups
- Messages or actions you send after an earlier conversation so the work keeps moving.
- bubble
- When investment in something grows far beyond its real value, creating a risk of a sudden crash when confidence breaks.
- Solo makers
- People who build and launch their own products or services entirely on their own.
- timeline
- A way of showing events or notes in the order they happened.
- integration
- The work of connecting one tool or service into another product.