Agentic artificial intelligence is gaining popularity far beyond tech circles, with Meta , OpenAI , Anthropic and other companies going head-to-head in the surging market for consumer-friendly AI agents.

While the leading AI labs have offered tools with agentic capabilities for years, agents that are designed to work proactively on a user’s behalf for tasks from buying groceries to managing to-do lists have taken off this year.

For anyone getting started, it can be overwhelming to understand the differences between the companies' various offerings and which agents might be best suited for specific tasks.

Here are some pointers on where to begin if you're looking to leverage agents in your personal or professional life — or both.

Don't just use one agent; opt for a ‘stack’

Many people in the tech world turn to multiple agents from different AI labs for both their work and home lives. Why?…