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Our weekly podcast discusses the latest in AI.

AI Platforms vs Workflow Engines The Difference You Need to Know Now

In this episode we discuss the common problem of conflating AI platforms with workflow engines like Zapier or N8N. They explain that a new "stack" for agentic solutions requires more than just the large language model (LLM) itself. While workflow engines are useful for connecting apps and creating simple "if/then" logic, they can quickly become brittle and unmanageable when dealing with the complexities of managing multiple AI agents and their underlying conversational logic.The solution is adopting a dedicated AI platform for centralized management. Rich uses the analogy of separating a website's front-end from its back-end database to illustrate the importance of separating the agent's management (platform) from the workflow logic. This approach prevents the need for a developer to manually adjust hard-coded logic every time a business user wants to make a simple tweak to an agent's instructions, ensuring greater flexibility and fault tolerance.We also discuss the benefits of this integrated approach for scalability and control. A platform allows a single, well-maintained agent to be used across dozens of workflows, preventing the "nightmare" of having to update 30 hard-coded copies of an agent every time a model is upgraded. The hosts stress that while workflow engines are a valuable part of the stack, an AI platform provides the centralized management, security, simplicity, and speed needed to build a scalable and sustainable AI workforce.