AI agents in 2026: useful, but keep them on a leash

I build dev tools and dogfood agents daily. Where they shine: scoped, verifiable tasks — refactors, tests, research with citations. Where they bite: anything open-ended with no feedback signal, where they'll confidently do the wrong thing for an hour. The winning pattern isn't "autonomous everything", it's tight loops with a human checkpoint. Treat an agent like a fast, eager junior: brilliant with clear specs, dangerous with vague ones.