tech
March 25, 2026
You're using the wrong kind of agent. Here's the one question that tells you which one you actually need + 3 diagnostic prompts
There are four kinds of agents. Most people think there’s one.

TL;DR
- There are four types of AI agents: coding harnesses, dark factories, auto research, and orchestration frameworks.
- Confusion over these agent types leads to misapplication of tools and wasted resources.
- Analysts project the AI agent market to grow significantly, from $8 billion in 2025 to over $50 billion by 2030.
- The article will detail each architecture, how experts differentiate them, a diagnostic question to identify the correct agent, operating principles for each, and diagnostic prompts.
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