Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Automation and AI get thrown around like the same thing — they're not. In this clip from the CTRL+Listen Podcast, brought to you by Octopart, the difference gets broken down fast: automation is the old, rule-based stuff that just fires a task for you (think an email drip campaign that kicks off the second you fill out a form), while artificial intelligence is actively trying to identify the problem you have right now and get you to a solution as fast as possible. Confuse the two and you'll misjudge where all of this is headed.
And where it's headed is agents. As AI shifts from a "search and retrieve" world to a "solve my problem" world, the term "automation" starts to disappear and the work moves toward AI agents handling it end to end. If you build, market, or sell anything, this is the 30,000-foot view of automation vs. AI vs. agents you need before the vocabulary — and the competitive landscape — changes underneath you.
▶ Watch the full video: youtu.be/cOL28TPPu5Q
⚙️ Resources from this Episode:
- Commexis — guest Len Ward's AI company: commexis.com
- Len Ward on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lenward
🖥️ Watch Next:
- Is Vibe Coding the Biggest Threat to Big Companies? (full episode): youtu.be/cOL28TPPu5Q
- AI in Electronics Design with Circuit Mind's Tomide Adesanmi: youtube.com/watch?v=Un6WDDaVqN8
- I Vibe Coded an FPGA Bring-Up With One Prompt: youtube.com/watch?v=UJeDFMlDrhM
- Vibe Coding Tutorial: AI Writes, Compiles & Uploads Arduino Code: youtube.com/watch?v=alLMkA2rNEQ
✨ Don't Miss Out:
Subscribe to our channel for more electronics, supply chain, and industry content: youtube.com/@Octopart?sub_confirmation=1
⚙️ Browse Octopart for Parts & Tech News: octopart.com
⚙️ TikTok: tiktok.com/@octopart_official
⚙️ Instagram: instagram.com/octopart
#aiagents #automation #ai
Automation and AI get thrown around like the same thing — they're not. In this clip from the CTRL+Listen Podcast, brought to you by Octopart, the difference gets broken down fast: automation is the old, rule-based stuff that just fires a task for you (think an email drip campaign that kicks off the second you fill out a form), while artificial intelligence is actively trying to identify the problem you have right now and get you to a solution as fast as possible. Confuse the two and you'll misjudge where all of this is headed.
And where it's headed is agents. As AI shifts from a "search and retrieve" world to a "solve my problem" world, the term "automation" starts to disappear and the work moves toward AI agents handling it end to end. If you build, market, or sell anything, this is the 30,000-foot view of automation vs. AI vs. agents you need before the vocabulary — and the competitive landscape — changes underneath you.
▶ Watch the full video: youtu.be/cOL28TPPu5Q
⚙️ Resources from this Episode:
- Commexis — guest Len Ward's AI company: commexis.com
- Len Ward on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lenward
🖥️ Watch Next:
- Is Vibe Coding the Biggest Threat to Big Companies? (full episode): youtu.be/cOL28TPPu5Q
- AI in Electronics Design with Circuit Mind's Tomide Adesanmi: youtube.com/watch?v=Un6WDDaVqN8
- I Vibe Coded an FPGA Bring-Up With One Prompt: youtube.com/watch?v=UJeDFMlDrhM
- Vibe Coding Tutorial: AI Writes, Compiles & Uploads Arduino Code: youtube.com/watch?v=alLMkA2rNEQ
✨ Don't Miss Out:
Subscribe to our channel for more electronics, supply chain, and industry content: youtube.com/@Octopart?sub_confirmation=1
⚙️ Browse Octopart for Parts & Tech News: octopart.com
⚙️ TikTok: tiktok.com/@octopart_official
⚙️ Instagram: instagram.com/octopart
#aiagents #automation #ai
