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Modern AI Stack (2026)

If you only remember one thing: pick one chat platform, one coding assistant, one automation layer, and one evaluation habit. Most teams over-buy tools and under-ship outcomes.

1) Conversation + General Reasoning​

  • Choose one daily driver: ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini
  • Keep a second model as a fallback for comparison on critical work
  • Use projects/workspaces to keep context persistent

2) Coding + Build Agent​

  • Editor/IDE assistant: Cursor or Copilot
  • Terminal/repo agent: Claude Code / OpenClaw / equivalent
  • CI checks before merge: tests, lint, security scan

3) Research + Retrieval​

  • One citation-focused search tool (Perplexity or equivalent)
  • One notes system (Obsidian/Notion) for reusable prompts, decisions, and playbooks
  • Save sources with timestamps for anything business-critical

4) Automation Layer​

  • No-code orchestration for routine workflows (Zapier/Make/n8n)
  • Agent-friendly execution path for complex multi-step tasks
  • Human approval gates for external actions (email sends, purchases, publishing)

5) Measurement + Quality​

  • Define “good output” before you run the workflow
  • Track: time saved, error rate, completion rate, and rework
  • Keep a red-team checklist for safety and policy failures

Two Starter Configurations​

Solo Builder Stack​

  • One chat model + one coding agent + one automation platform
  • Weekly review: what got shipped, what broke, what to standardize
  • Goal: reduce context switching and ship in smaller loops

Team Stack​

  • Shared prompt/playbook repo
  • Shared eval rubric per workflow (support, content, dev, ops)
  • Approval workflows on high-risk actions
  • Goal: consistency across people, not just speed per person

What to Avoid​

  • Paying for 4+ overlapping chat subscriptions without clear role boundaries
  • Running expensive models on low-value repetitive tasks
  • Treating AI output as final without verification
  • Letting agents act externally without guardrails

Budgeting Rule of Thumb​

  • Use premium models for high-leverage reasoning, architecture, or customer-facing content
  • Use mid/low-cost models for extraction, formatting, summarization, and repetitive transforms
  • Revisit model routing monthly; pricing and quality shift quickly

30-Day Upgrade Plan​

  1. Week 1: Standardize your daily stack (one tool per category)
  2. Week 2: Build 2 repeatable workflows you run every week
  3. Week 3: Add quality checks and approval gates
  4. Week 4: Measure ROI and cut tools you didn’t actually use

Ship fewer tools. Ship better systems.