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Matthew EspositoPractical AI

Home Base · Written lesson

Choose the Right AI System Before You Build

A decision framework for choosing among a conversation, a reusable Skill, a workflow, an agent, or a small interface.

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A decision path selecting one appropriate AI system and carrying it into a finished workflow.

Video coming with the Home Base series · 11 min

Start with the shape of the work

Frequency, risk, inputs, judgment, and proof tell you more than a product category. A recurring bounded task may need a Skill; a changing multi-step process may need a workflow; a one-off decision may need neither.

Choose the smallest system that can succeed

Every added component creates another place for context to drift or authority to become unclear. Begin with the least machinery that can produce an inspectable result.

Let complexity earn its place

Move from a conversation to a Skill, workflow, agent, or interface only after repetition and evidence show why the next layer is useful.

  • The Semantic Tree: Turn a vague idea into a structured map of what matters, what connects, and what to decide next.