The uncomfortable truth about AI agent startups

Every startup calls themselves an AI agent company now. But when you dig deeper — some are just API wrappers, some are prompt chains, some are actual autonomous systems. The spectrum is wild. And the honest truth is: most of what is called AI agents today would not pass the litmus test. Which ones are actually agents? The ones that can handle failure without human intervention. I have been testing dozens of them. Here is what I have learned.