I Replaced My Virtual Assistant With AI Agents
E65

I Replaced My Virtual Assistant With AI Agents

Summary

Build in Public Daily is back, and the shape of it is changing. Jethro talks through a full day of building Optimization Doc, using OpenClaw and Hermes agents to log and execute work, and the strange shift from hiring a virtual assistant to having AI assistants generate hundreds of lines of daily work history.

This first revived episode covers the Ryan Ray AI brain conversation, a Thinkering Collective partnership opportunity, updates to jethrojones.com, the new What I Built Today process, faceless TikTok automation ideas, and the early positioning for GrantMemory and Scholar Second Brain.

Chapters

  • 0:00 - Restarting Build in Public Daily
  • 0:32 - Daily logging, AI agents, and 646 lines of work
  • 1:40 - Virtual assistants vs. AI assistants
  • 2:14 - Ryan Ray and an AI brain vault prompt
  • 2:59 - Thinkering Collective and podcast network opportunities
  • 3:23 - AI disclosure and the What I Built Today process
  • 4:09 - TikTok automation, GrantMemory, and Scholar Second Brain
  • 4:55 - A full day of building and token usage

Show Notes

  • Optimization Doc is Jethro's new business focused on helping companies improve operations with AI automation.
  • OpenClaw and Hermes are doing meaningful background work: scripts, jobs, logging, and task execution.
  • Jethro reflects on the difference between hiring a virtual assistant and building AI assistants that can actually keep up with his operating system.
  • The Ryan Ray conversation led to a custom AI brain vault prompt based on how Jethro is using his own vault.
  • The Thinkering Collective may bring fellows into shows on the BE Podcast Network.
  • Jethro is rebuilding jethrojones.com with explicit AI disclosure and a What I Built Today feed.
  • GrantMemory and Scholar Second Brain are being positioned as second-brain setup services for academics.

Added/created/modified by OpenClaw on 2026.07.27 20:15 on ombee.