What are AI agents? How can they help your business scale.

The History of Automation and How It Applies to You

I work with a lot of engineers, and they never give simple answers. If you asked them how something works, they will start at the beginning—sometimes way back at the beginning. Many engineers believe that if you don’t understand the roots, you will never really grasp the branches. I get it. As a researcher and an organizer of information, I tend to zoom out and look at where an idea or tool came from before I talk about what it does today.

That’s how I find myself explaining AI to my teens. Instead of just saying, “Oh, it’s like an assistant that predicts what you need,” I feel compelled to give them some history. Because when they see the progression, they understand not only how it works, but also why it’s such a big deal.

Think about automation as a story that’s been unfolding for over 60 years. Once upon a time, everything was paper. Filing cabinets, ledgers, handwritten notes. If you wanted to find something, you had to know where it was tucked away, or hope someone else remembered. Then came computers—giant machines at first—that let us start digitizing information, one keystroke at a time.

Eventually, computers shrank and landed on every office desk. Suddenly, every worker became a data entry clerk, whether they realized it or not. Your files weren’t just paper anymore—they were files on a machine that sat right in front of you.

The next leap was cloud computing. Now, your files weren’t trapped on a single computer. You could grab them anywhere, on any device. This was revolutionary, because information was no longer a “place” you had to go—it became something you could carry with you.

And now, here we are with AI agents. The big difference? Instead of you digging through files, scheduling meetings, or crunching data, the machine does it for you—and not just reactively, but proactively. It predicts your next step, offers solutions, and sometimes even takes action before you realize you need it.

This is the story I want my kids to see. AI isn’t magic, and it didn’t just appear one day. It’s the next chapter in a long history of human attempts to make work easier, information faster, and decisions smarter. When they see that, they don’t just use the technology blindly—they appreciate it, question it, and maybe even imagine where it could go next.

Real life applications of AI – explained for teens

Automation and Your Teen: Connecting the Dots

When I talk about the history of automation with my kids, I can see their eyes glaze over at “filing cabinets” and “mainframes.” Fair enough—they’ve never touched a filing cabinet, and the closest they’ve come to a “mainframe” is probably Minecraft.

So let’s bring it into their world.

Take Snapchat, for example. Every time they open it, the app predicts which friend they want to message first. That’s automation. It’s the system quietly watching their behavior and surfacing what’s most likely next. Same with Spotify—it builds playlists not just from the songs they choose, but from the patterns it notices. AI is acting like a DJ who knows their mood before they do.

Google Docs? That’s cloud computing with automation baked in. Their work saves instantly, changes are tracked, and the system suggests edits without them hitting “save” or “spellcheck.” Compare that to the old world of paper and typewriters, and it’s clear why teachers say “no excuses” about lost homework now.

And then there’s their phones in general—face ID unlocking, autocomplete texts, suggested replies, even reminders about leaving for practice on time. These are all micro-automations, little invisible agents that reduce friction in their daily lives.

The point I want them to see is this: they are swimming in automation already. AI isn’t some future sci-fi thing—it’s embedded in their friendships, their music, their schoolwork, and even their chores (Roombas, anyone?). Understanding this makes it less intimidating. Instead of asking, “Is this going to replace me?” they start asking, “How can I use this to do more of what I want, faster?”

And that’s where the real empowerment lies. Automation, at its best, doesn’t take over your life—it gives you back time to live it.

AI agents take data from across the cloud and make powerful connections and predictions

And now? We’ve entered a new era. Using networked technology, AI agents (or bots) can search across all that connected data, make inferences, and even predict outcomes. Instead of just storing information, we’re building systems that can act on it.

This is the world our kids are stepping into. For six decades, we’ve been entering data into computers and then into the cloud. Today, we’re building bots that use this data to automate tasks, generate insights, and make predictions.

It feels like a massive shift—because it is. And if you’re raising teenagers who will graduate into this changing landscape, it raises the big question: How do we help them prepare for careers that don’t even exist yet?

Not every kid will be a techy, but they need to know how tech can help them scale

But here’s the good news: not every kid needs to go into tech to thrive in this new world. What matters is understanding how AI agents can support whatever path they choose. Teens who wants to be a fitness coach, landscaper, therapist, artist, or even enter the medical profession – they can use AI to automate scheduling, marketing, bookkeeping, and client communications. It’s an incredible time in history to build an independent business—and AI agents are the tools that can make that possible. Even if your child isn’t “the tech,” they’ll benefit from learning the basics of business and seeing how automation can free them up to do more of the work they love.

What Are AI Agents?

Think of an AI agent as a “digital worker” that doesn’t just answer questions like ChatGPT, but takes action on your behalf. For example:

Scheduling a doctor’s appointment for you.
Running a small online store (managing inventory, marketing, even customer responses).
Monitoring financial markets and making simple trades.

This isn’t sci-fi anymore. Creators like Productive Dude on YouTube explain how these agents are evolving week by week. His content shows how accessible this tech is becoming, not just for big companies but for everyday people.

Why Parents Should Pay Attention

When I was starting my career, the focus was on learning Microsoft Office and maybe a little coding. Today, our kids are facing a different reality:

Automation is expanding into creative, administrative, and even leadership tasks.
Collaboration with AI will be as common as learning to type was for us.
Entrepreneurship is shifting—teenagers could run “side hustles” with the help of AI agents before they ever graduate.

How to Guide Your Teen in an AI World

You don’t need to become an AI engineer to prepare your kids. Instead, focus on helping them develop skills that pair well with AI:

Problem-Solving
AI can execute, but it still needs humans to define the right problem to solve. Encourage your teen to ask “why?” and to think critically.
Communication
Writing clear prompts, instructions, or project goals is becoming a vital skill. This is just good communication—but applied in a new way.
Ethics & Judgment
AI agents will follow orders, but not all tasks should be automated. Discuss with your kids the values and guardrails that matter to your family.
Experimentation
Encourage them to test out tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or even entry-level coding platforms. Comfort with tinkering today builds confidence tomorrow.

Resources to Explore Together

Here are a few websites and tools where you and your teen can start exploring:

YouTube – Productive Dude: digestible updates on AI agents.
Futurepedia.io – a directory of AI tools.
MIT OpenCourseWare – free classes on computer science and AI basics.
No-Code platforms like Bubble or Make.com – where teens can build small projects without heavy coding.

For parents who want to understand AI in plain language, I also post regular guides right here on Rachael Hall Creative.

The Big Picture

As parents, our job isn’t to predict the exact jobs our kids will hold. Instead, it’s to equip them with the adaptability, curiosity, and courage to navigate a landscape where AI agents will be co-workers, assistants, and maybe even competitors.

And honestly? That’s something we can learn alongside them.