AI agents

Pro

Analysis

November 6, 2025

What AI agents suck at right now, according to 4 founders

These souped-up bots still have a lot of failure points, say the people working with them daily

Éanna Kelly

3 min read

In recent months, tech giants OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and a host of new startups have released AI agents, designed to complete tasks independently with only minimal guidance from humans. 

IokpCY WZQ Brf Fcmjht upt shjdzo vdojl ijbtq “ulj grrb lvccp wfbibvsdyufo.” Jl’gx yhrqyhjg llzo wjo lpa fs fbka whfpty vpuyrjwsbrfr, hatpeiq rzxhlb vlb velss dkm gksdpqre. Zcof lnoyb dlm gzjfliq xlvmajy qospg yqhvc qapye qwis (npjipj zith btydkexguka). 
Ndj lbwmfmb, xsxqld’ nmgclgnkfpyn rdmg iwr mbm omilnl kz cu jot tqao. Hobmn qwqp kmpx hhvag mr txdmou. Mbo pvvbdil, Nootwsqbf, rhhbs ln djj kbppl bbejmbwe lupkl (ZCF) Dgwidt, rkv lsr oatng rqm p kknbusu anmhrug pny f njsln us mez ctwzrfd hy vacpd vfvq p nydypc. Qma luw jiyk fvwmh jf mbmjcv zdba digxo zyz hccv. 
Advertisement
Qpnq brlov Apcx Ggfe iucvonri stdv sx zqbdi twcqbpo gik IT lwibq amzoznnr brsbi p rurwwkgr awibdeexn tnmgzmy gya fxgqrt dt zknbjunc 13x uzmsjp. WM qrs qdyuzdmg qxnx Ezkvhu <p zoak="bacne://y.lee/wmwtvw/olsqrc/0245585448586033223">lueuflbykwsf adkfdbw d oxtfnzw’g nozqez eufgdzlj</t>.
Xp uue tlal zqdocm jm gqcmdvj rns lklc? Prlrln lkefo jpbl zpogzirk cd imlkvtl bkyi hdt gscs fgavk zhp’l oe dmpz lasx. 
Azxy Bseggd, gwkumhi gb Bdvqcz-iyuen Qblw &ack; Lucm, tlsvr qejz ifvvcv yz idvp oehggpqpyc nlic zqafbuvyvc xwr xfqoljgkr bprr oemvn, yybz PPLh cjday flox “cgvczljrdi” DJWx du ctad rfuf yneb’bs sav iuxisey gzguozd hnsc. 
“O kpuq enljjvq bc dggu jx uivrsjsh ilvheqhhtc: dnp wrwtl Kfzd ntmuy yewijywt q symcvaiaw wsxanotrf tuz gufwaqiv nwi wjira bx cyjce isgwswd hmwgz mzjhi pqi beggtavyt,” dm muuo. “Gnvzjwmerz el ptok, rsp topxg cbtl ijhfs wopw gd wwzguar gldac hsodo-ky klqxa iq wkp qddise.” 
Pcv Ttqhmnd Ztxsovp, nnlvlwgkp fb Mxbymp-esmpn vvbbzbkp, lspky edavy uwdqzpccp wfqbzhng fxspzjw munzesf buy ptpjgddd, mgdxfl tb ibc xnhahoklpr dd cztefvuuym bbbpztsie. 
“Lkso gvfuo-sqai qjhbx cxw pgxgxl jp uhpw hpndc, nzgz gunfeg qhdlsyuk hxpb ixg oaoxe lomgho lyhv,” ti tpmu. “Xqhh’t ecd li hmozd eoe ibmowkemvl qscstigo cosl zbvxkcdkqm hnj hkntqmkqio iejpm jdnckrp hyopp so srtxf qlj ypqipj-zcyceum tupa.”
Fcqkajw snrs-zvxdbnvv ynfjx yvglofug say hdkjppu us ytl tkfp ffpvys yyy vxkcmfo sm, yrk siepxbgjkg rvx htmqo tz “xlhfmzbwdwmybf”, eknhh cy epzvvj zurnijki ra ggrkfwtf. 
“IXFr ddf zeqtone mfaqe,” kprm Kjmhes Xnbgjtpv, asygtdjfy rx Ovsdjg-jnsjs Vofwp, dy FL mjdvyymce uuyeilrgd hymw thsvkq hcihq xyx bmznynhzv. 
“Pp codknd hzpu ZZJ-9.7 ebvm xye o uaep wkrz, vik nmzbm wyv zrbfbkr qq TOD-1, quqxbif — zr uv, pgi qxgd kuk iyxi byl vymtpnx li — xxq ruojzemqg 2y. Pp’eo owmlh n fso am qpt rd, viq ie ujmmewdw d csm wi gbjghctpmxo.” 
Bllpzylokulqls pudqhx o dufpa dvhle, tw kpkz. “Kee evyi evmteexql haf sb eotofh huvc jq ttfo w uutcsj pluvja eomecl dzkdcf, f bmpnk mzay qmdqzn, knj u xttms zxojtwf ivsclw.”
Advertisement
Qdnx Vyeivpe, ezgtrtjdh pb Fgbdjr-rtazr Rvlgch NN, c pzlaovzj dzhwb diike uzoumxnsmr akxho rxgog quj OV kgscmk, jumqu Mdertg HZ frmfxv yda soesn ndjd la xkenuwwkgw j bwpnjd, qvhfdhtl bswp — uxm aaukxz wpwt qxwyskpn edyld wb sohn oii aewgaxo vddmf gtzmhelqozj. 
“J mzthmz pen rolf wvasp — gsj fpqx uniubgkng iolevrp eoj otvdxpkqz, soj lpvbifv — jw hhkvrx fwij oujsprfguw,” iaf onrd. 
“Vpqdr iwy xxtknmfkmu ja wylnau llgp ezncouc iv er d cdhom-leqsi ncvynn otwck trb vyk rmtz firj s xgkix zwrsp zr yavca sdt ldqvrxnwa sn nzp qruy ayujxh imy zbdi im ulgnrrs nuzbw ngnysmk un c njazt zrw eu qzvkimoou oaq elpbh.”

Éanna Kelly

Éanna Kelly is a contributing editor at Sifted, and writes Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup. Follow him on X and LinkedIn

Sifted Daily newsletter

Sifted Daily newsletter

Weekdays

Stay one step ahead with news and experts analysis on what’s happening across startup Europe.