# The end of conversational ping-pong: autonomous agents are here, and they will change how we work

Author: Fernando Nieto Lobato
Original publication: 2026-03-11
Spanish original: https://estrategiabyaleph.substack.com/p/estrategia-128-adios-al-chatbot-la
English URL: https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/essays/128/
Status: Published translation

This is a translation of the original Spanish essay published on 11 March 2026. Its claims, examples and forecasts retain that historical context.

English publication: 2026-09-29

Until very recently, our relationship with artificial intelligence resembled a game of ping-pong. We sent a question—a prompt—and received an answer. We iterated, corrected and asked again. Many people still use ChatGPT or Gemini almost like Google Search: a quick way to resolve a specific query, write an email or summarise a text. **At the start of 2026, however, the paradigm has changed radically.** We have moved beyond conversational AI and entered the age of agentic artificial intelligence.

What does that mean in practice? **AI is no longer just a chatbot answering questions or carrying out isolated microtasks. It is a system capable of taking on, structuring and executing complex projects autonomously from beginning to end.** You no longer need to specify every step. AI now works as a proactive collaborator that proposes a roadmap and waits for your approval before proceeding. You direct; the machine executes.

To illustrate this qualitative leap, I want to share my recent experience with two platforms leading the change: Google DeepMind's Antigravity and the new Windows version of OpenAI Codex, released last Wednesday, 4 March.

## Creating a political comic in three hours with Antigravity

For [ALEPH Educational Institution](https://institucioneducativaaleph.com/), we set a creative challenge that would take the system beyond a typical programming task: explain Machiavelli's *The Prince* to a new audience in a visual format. This is the first beta of what we call ALEPH Politicómic.

Using Antigravity, my role shifted from prompt writer to executive director. I did not have to say “make an image”. The agent acted as an autonomous collaborator. First, we defined the concept: a European *bande dessinée* style. From there, it built the project's complete architecture: an editorial bible to maintain the tone, a visual bible to keep characters consistent, and a production script. I simply had to approve—almost always the creation of files on the computer—and continue.

The fascinating part was not that it generated 36 illustrations in a consistent artistic style. The revolutionary part was that Antigravity programmed the interactive web reader from scratch in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, integrated the text and delivered the finished product ready to browse. When I suggested improvements after completion, it opened the PC's browser itself to check progress and ensure everything was in order. The whole process, from idea to functioning comic, took around three hours: three hours for work that would have required a scriptwriter, illustrator and web developer to coordinate over several days.

**Here are the first two pages. Click them to [open the complete comic](https://drive.google.com/file/d/117FFDmNKnG08IJMQa3OvB2M3UF9bJmDm/view?usp=sharing):**

[![First ALEPH Politicómics page introducing Machiavelli and The Prince.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/51150c79-5f4a-4c31-a27b-bd5c096fe65f_1130x1600.png)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/117FFDmNKnG08IJMQa3OvB2M3UF9bJmDm/view?usp=sharing)

*Page 1, English reading of the original comic's narrative text. Header: “ALEPH Educational Institution presents ALEPH POLITICÓMICS — A visual introduction to the great classics of politics.”*

> There is a cursed book. A book everyone quotes but almost nobody has read. Its name is used as an insult: “That's very Machiavellian.” As if it meant betrayal.
>
> But what did Niccolò Machiavelli really write in 1513, alone, exiled and afraid of dying forgotten? Let's find out. Come with me to Florence.

*The presenter is identified as Jorge Santiago Barnés, President of ALEPH Educational Institution. The book is labelled Il Principe, by Machiavelli. Small decorative lettering on the generated book pages is not treated as a reliable transcription of the original work.*

[![Second comic page showing Machiavelli in exile and translating all narrative panels below.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/cbc22727-ab2f-48f3-bd41-4881e6f51cad_1131x1600.png)](https://drive.google.com/file/d/117FFDmNKnG08IJMQa3OvB2M3UF9bJmDm/view?usp=sharing)

*Page 2, translated narrative and dialogue, in reading order:*

> Florence, 1512. Niccolò Machiavelli had it all: he had been a diplomat, a spy and an adviser to the Republic. Until the Medici returned. They imprisoned him. They tortured him. They exiled him to a farm outside the city.
>
> On this farm he writes at night, after spending the day among peasants. He puts on his best clothes to sit down and write, like someone preparing for an audience that will never come.
>
> “If only… Lorenzo de' Medici would agree to read this…”
>
> “…because a man of the people has no other way to show his worth than to offer what he knows best.”

*These passages translate the comic's Spanish wording. Its attributed historical quotation and decorative manuscript lettering are not presented as verified quotations from Machiavelli.*

## Building a Windows 11 speech-analysis application in under an hour

The second experiment was more technical. With Codex's Windows release, I wanted to build something useful for our work at estrategIA: a political-speech analyser.

[![Political speech analyser interface with a Suárez speech and mandatory human-review warning.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/1a89a13f-5344-49f2-a6c5-7c4fe84afb66_1600x1181.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Vauk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1a89a13f-5344-49f2-a6c5-7c4fe84afb66_1600x1181.png)

*Original application interface, “Political speech analyser — estrategIA/ALEPH”. The example records speech ID Beta3, title “Investiture speech”, speaker Adolfo Suarez, date 30/3/1979, location Congress of Deputies and automatic language detection. The source field displays rhetorik.app/speeches/discurso-de-investidura-2. The buttons read “Generate analysis”, “Open HTML” and “Open output folder”. The interface explicitly warns: “All detections are candidates and require human review.” The log says the interface is ready and asks the user to paste a speech, complete the metadata and generate the analysis. The visible speech text also appears in the results screenshot below.*

In less than an hour, I had an executable file on my computer. The first iteration had produced a Python speech-analysis system that worked very well but required console commands; the second had a graphical user interface. This is not a script running in a dark console. It is an application where you paste a speech—I used the excellent [Rhetorik](https://rhetorik.app/) website to find a couple for testing—and receive a comprehensive analysis: rhetorical devices, political frames such as economy, security and identity, and possible logical fallacies, all exportable to CSV and JSON.

[![Annotated investiture speech with candidate rhetorical labels and scores.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/b267673a-351a-4c24-aabb-9b2655dd2668_1438x1600.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1ypN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb267673a-351a-4c24-aabb-9b2655dd2668_1438x1600.png)

*Original results screen. The metadata identify the same speech and detect Spanish (“es”). Its prominent note states: “All labels are automatic candidates and require human review.” Checkboxes show rhetorical devices, frames, claims and possible fallacies. The visible candidate labels and scores include numeric datum (0.66); us/them (0.71); contrast (0.74); security/order (0.70); identity/culture (0.75, 0.77 and 0.73); economy/employment (0.75); unity/nation (0.75); causality (0.56); call to action (0.77); and innovation/future (0.74). Repeated labels remain visible in the original. These are the prototype's outputs, not validated assessments of the speech.*

*English translation of the visible speech excerpt, included so the example can be read without Spanish. The final sentence is cut off in the screenshot:*

> Thank you, Mr President. With your permission. Honourable Members, designated by His Majesty the King, I appear before you in an act whose meaning and scope are defined by Article 99 of our Constitution. In strict fulfilment of the constitutional mandate, I intend to set out the basic programme principles, outline the course of action and establish the fundamental objectives and measures that will shape our government's work during the coming parliamentary term, should the House grant its approval.
>
> The political change achieved in our country has been profound and sincere. But a new period is now beginning, a stage of deep transformation in society. We must therefore know how to bring about social change sincerely, combining prudence with boldness and also choosing the path of responsible, gradual reform that shaped the achievement of political change and is, quite simply, the ultimate expression of the political will of the next UCD government. Political change took place around a sensible approach of adjusting the pace without diminishing the substance. We now propose to pursue social change through a constant search for justice, demonstrating in practice that reform is the most suitable route to transforming society. With that intention, let me invite you to advance the definitive institutional establishment of a democracy equal to our times and to share the great collective hope of progressively modernising Spanish society. Once again, the question is whether, at either end of the spectrum, the degree of reasonable and possible change required by social transformation and the aim of justice will be accepted, or whether radicalism will be unleashed to make it unworkable. This, in essence, is the situation and the framework for the great task the Spanish people must fulfil, which the national government will strive to advance. We are an old country whose new frontiers lie not outside itself, but within what, over the centuries, has been the difficult, determined coexistence of different languages and cultures. Our present challenge is to accept ourselves as we are, to strive to improve each day and to lift the country through work, self-criticism and a spirit of sacrifice. The new frontier, in a word, lies not far away but within every one of us. We must root ourselves in that defining identity to establish firmly the foundations of the great people we can all be together. And we have the will, strength and political experience to do so. This historic opportunity coincides with economic and social difficulties that might seek to obstruct it. But what matters is to choose correctly and commit to justice and fairness with determination and effectiveness, instead of being unsettled by empty rhetoric and frivolity. We face a new situation because we are beginning a new parliamentary term within the framework of one of the world's youngest and most progressive constitutions, from which we must address old problems, some centuries old. It is therefore not enough, in defining Spain's new reality, to say that Spain has succeeded in establishing a democratic system. We must add the determination of Spaniards to consolidate a democracy whose substance is fully attuned to the social values of our time. We must achieve a social democracy faithful to the modern aspirations of a political system that began its life in the last third of the twentieth century. The phase before us therefore offers no truce or opportunity for complacency. On the contrary, it demands that we carry a readiness for change into new areas and adopt a clear, unequivocal attitude in interpreting and embracing the desire for progress in the broadest, most vital parts of the Spanish people. Our true commitment is thus identified with the future. We will strive to ensure that, for the first time in our history, the Constitution is not merely a solemn declaration of rights, but the effective foundation of a stable, just democracy. We therefore understand that the system of rights and freedoms which defines the…

As you can see, these screenshots show our test using former Spanish prime minister Adolfo Suárez's investiture speech. The original issue's prompts section contains instructions for asking Codex, very easily, to build a similar tool.

## The paradox of human bureaucracy

To illustrate how far these systems have come, I also want to mention a personal project, although it was not created specifically for estrategIA. In January, using Antigravity for the first time, I developed a [complete mobile application for my project](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fernandonieto.estoicismodiario), *[Estoicismo Diario](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fernandonieto.estoicismodiario)*. For several years, I have simply shared a daily quotation from the leading Stoic philosophers on social media. What began as a personal routine now has around 200,000 followers on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/estoicismo_diario/), and a free app was my way of thanking them. The technical development took just two mornings. AI generated a production-ready application that is now in the Android app store, without me—or anyone else—writing a single line of code. Only two or three years ago, that would have seemed almost magical.

The irony is that I spent far longer—several weeks—completing Play Store forms, finding beta testers and passing Google's verification processes than AI spent reliably building the software: two mornings. Technology has accelerated creation so much that administrative bureaucracy will, in many cases, become the real bottleneck.

[![Historical Google Play listing and preview screens for Estoicismo Diario.](https://elcontemplador.github.io/estrategia-english/assets/images/be6c7a95-bb38-4c4a-b24e-e3ee60e1e922_1599x1209.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!A2Rx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe6c7a95-bb38-4c4a-b24e-e3ee60e1e922_1599x1209.png)

*Archived Google Play listing: “estoicismo diario”, by Fernando Nieto; 500+ downloads; PEGI 3. The listing offers installation on additional devices and sharing, and says that the app is available for some of the user's devices and that this content can be shared with their family. The release notes read: “Welcome to Estoicismo Diario! Daily quotations from the great Stoic philosophers. Save your favourite quotations. Explore the teachings of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus and more. Elegant design in light or dark mode.”*

*Preview screens show the daily quotation in light and dark modes, an authors list and saved favourites. The eight philosophers listed are Cleanthes, Chrysippus, Epictetus, Hecato of Rhodes, Marcus Aurelius, Musonius Rufus, Seneca and Zeno of Citium. The visible navigation labels are “Daily”, “Authors”, “Favourites” and “Info”; the quotation screen invites the reader to tap for another quotation. The four distinct visible quotations are translated from the Spanish displayed in the screenshot:*

> “When someone provokes you, you should know that it is your mind that has been provoked. So do not let yourself be carried away: the fault lies not with the other person, but with your judgement.” — Epictetus
>
> “One should not depend on a single hope, just as a ship should not rely on a single anchor.” — Epictetus
>
> “Look within; within lies the source of good, and it will always spring forth if you keep digging.” — Marcus Aurelius
>
> “Never let the future trouble you. You will face it, if necessary, with the same weapons of reason that protect you against the present today.” — Marcus Aurelius

*These are translations of the app's Spanish wording and attributions, not independently verified quotations from the original works. The preview and download figure belong to the historical screenshot.*

## Try this new way of creating with AI

The central message of this issue is clear: the entry barrier to creating complex tools, digital products and sophisticated content has disappeared. We have moved from asking AI to resolve a query to commissioning it to build a product.

I strongly encourage you to try these tools. Remember that, capable as they already are, they are the worst we will use for the rest of our lives: the technology continues to improve very rapidly. You do not need to be a technical expert, only to exercise judgement, have a clear idea and know how to direct. Financial and time costs have fallen to once-unthinkable levels. Today it is Antigravity and Codex; soon, we also hope to explore Anthropic's agentic solutions with Claude, which promise to transform office work. The future is no longer about knowing how to use a supercharged search engine. It is about learning to direct your own team of intelligent agents.

[Fernando Nieto Lobato](https://es.linkedin.com/in/fernandonietolobato?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

*Director of Digital Innovation at ALEPH Educational Institution and editor of estrategIA.*