When the Swarm Wakes

#ai #startup #programming

Being an Entrepreneur in the Age of AI

I’m building a 100% AI-run business by the end of 2025.

So far? It’s powerful. It’s promising. And it’s held together with duct tape.

It Doesn’t Quite Feel Like AI

The dream is a self-directing swarm of agents running the show.

The reality? Humans approving outputs. Workflows stitched together by hand. A hundred micro-decisions on what to automate versus what to leave alone.

Tools like Lindy AI are starting to smooth the edges, automating customer interactions or scheduling without constant human nudging. But the full “lights-out” AI company? We’re not there yet.

AI can do a lot. Left unsupervised, though, it mostly stalls or tries to high five you as it drives off a cliff. I'm still figuring out where to trust it, where to babysit it, and where to just get the hull out of the way.

Memory: The Hidden Engine

One thing became clear fast: without memory, a swarm forgets everything. Every run is day one.

Platforms like Relevance AI are making a start here here — turning scattered data into searchable memory for agents.

I’ve been building my own version too:

Shared across agents, persistent across projects.
Version-controlled so nothing breaks when things change.
Big enough to remember what worked, small enough to stay coherent.

Slowly, patterns emerge. The swarm isn't learning, exactly, but it's making baby steps towards the door.

What Entrepreneurs Should Actually Do

Here’s what’s shaking out for founders building with AI right now:

Keep humans in the loop

Full autonomy is tempting. But oversight matters — especially where mistakes hurt
Build memory early

Context is gold. Shared memory keeps swarms from repeating the same errors forever
Stay modular

Think networks of small specialists, not one big “super agent.” Flexibility beats size
Embrace messy early days

The first versions will be clunky. Iterate anyway. Progress hides inside the chaos
Price for reality

AI isn’t free. Infrastructure, guardrails, and humans all cost something. Plan for it

The Next Wave

Here’s what’s coming as swarms mature:

Trust as a feature — AI that forgets or contradicts itself won’t last long
Specialization over generalization — niche agents with deep knowledge will win
Managing complexity — every new agent, memory layer, or workflow adds overhead
Personality and tone — your swarm’s “voice” will leak through everything it makes

The Entrepreneur’s Role

We’re not here just to “use AI.”

Our job is to orchestrate it; to design systems that remember, adapt, and deliver consistently, even after the shiny newness wears off. We're kind of trying to engineer evolution.

Because when the swarm finally wakes, the winners won’t be the ones with the flashiest tech.

They’ll be the ones who built AI that actually keeps its head on straight.