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How to ThinkIn the Age of AI

Question

What is multi-agent workflow?

beginner

Quick Answer

Some agents must run in a specific order — define the sequence explicitly.

Example: You have a morning routine with three cognitive agents: a planning agent that sets your priorities for the day, an energy-assessment agent that gauges your current capacity, and a scheduling agent that assigns tasks to time blocks. You have been running all three at the same time — sitting down with coffee and trying to plan, assess energy, and schedule simultaneously. The result is a muddle: you schedule deep work for 9 AM before checking whether you slept four hours or eight, or you assign priorities before knowing which meetings already claimed your afternoon. Now restructure the sequence: energy assessment first (what do I actually have to work with today?), then priority setting (given my capacity, what matters most?), then scheduling (given priorities and energy, when does each thing happen?). Same three agents. Defined sequence. The output transforms from noise into a coherent operating plan.

This concept is part of Multi-Agent Coordination in the How to Think curriculum.

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