The Jo Show · 31 July 2026
If you’re still using AI like a chatbot, you haven’t started
Jo McKee runs McKee Creative as a marketing agency that now operates with AI agents handling content production, SEO analysis, advertising review and client workflow steps.
The episode lays out the difference between typing requests into a single interface and constructing systems that retain memory, follow rules and complete sequences across tools.
Why prompt and copy remains limited
Most users treat AI as a question and answer box. They receive an output, paste it elsewhere and move to the next manual step. This keeps the human in the loop for every transition and prevents any accumulation of context across tasks.
McKee notes that this approach still requires the same number of decisions and file movements that existed before the tool appeared. The time saving stays small because the surrounding process stays unchanged.
What an agent system adds
An agent receives a goal, selects from available tools, records outcomes and returns for further instruction only when a rule requires approval. McKee built agents that draft blog outlines, check keyword data, suggest ad adjustments and log client status updates without separate logins for each platform.
The agents draw from a shared knowledge base stored in Obsidian. This gives them consistent background on brand guidelines, past campaign results and client preferences so each new task starts with relevant history rather than a blank prompt.
Open source choices and portability
McKee prefers tools that can move between providers. Closed platforms tie memory and workflows to one company. When terms or pricing change, the entire system must be rebuilt. Open options such as Hermes allow the same agent definitions to run on different models or local hardware.
Paperclip manages task lists and approvals. The combination keeps costs predictable and avoids subscription creep from multiple point solutions that each solve only one slice of the workflow.
Treating agents like team members
McKee assigns each agent a defined role, a set of permitted actions and a memory store. New agents begin with narrow scope and expand only after consistent performance. Approval gates remain on financial or client-facing decisions until the output matches expected standards.
This structure replaces several software subscriptions that previously handled scheduling, reporting and content brief generation. The agency now maintains fewer logins and fewer monthly fees while retaining control over where data lives.
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