This CEO Built a Daily AI Agent That Searches the Web While He Sleeps
Custom Agents don't need to be hard →
Ryan Staley
November 08, 2025
While most of us are still figuring out how to use AI for basic tasks, Chris Savage, co-founder and CEO of Wistia (serving over 500,000 customers worldwide), has cracked the code on making AI work for him—literally while he sleeps.
💡 "I've started creating repeatable tasks with LLMs. I'll say, 'I want you to go search for this thing every day. And if you find it, update me.' It knows the types of questions I'm already asking and every morning goes out and searches for things related to the stuff I'm working on." — Chris Savage
🎯 The Game-Changing Approach
In a recent conversation on the podcast, Savage revealed his innovative approach to AI automation that goes far beyond what most executives are doing:
🔄Automated Daily Briefings
Savage has configured ChatGPT to act as his personal research assistant, conducting autonomous searches every morning on topics relevant to his work at Wistia. The AI doesn't just dump information—it provides context on why he should care about each finding.
🎓Continuous Learning Loop
"Each day when I get something, I'll respond to it and say, 'This is good. This is bad,' and iterate as I go," Savage explains. The system gets smarter over time, learning his preferences and filtering signal from noise.
📊Beyond Search Engines
Unlike traditional Google Alerts or RSS feeds, this AI agent actively processes and synthesizes information from sources Savage admits he "honestly wouldn't go through. There's like too much stuff."
🛠️ How He Built It
The setup is surprisingly accessible—no coding required:
Platform: ChatGPT with task automation features
Method: Custom daily reminders with specific search parameters
Training: Iterative feedback to refine results
Parallel Tool: Also uses ChatGPT's "Pulse" feature for unexpected discoveries
🔑 KEY INSIGHT: Savage emphasizes the difference between his custom briefing (expected, specific information) and ChatGPT Pulse (unexpected discoveries). The combination ensures comprehensive coverage while maintaining focus.
🎬 Revolutionary Video AI at Wistia
Beyond personal productivity, Savage is pioneering AI applications in video technology:
🌍LLM-Friendly Video Embeds
Wistia launched technology that makes video content searchable by AI. The innovation? When LLMs crawl a webpage with embedded videos, they can now "read" the transcript—making video content discoverable in AI search results.
The Problem It Solves: YouTube blocks ChatGPT and other LLMs. Traditional video players require JavaScript, which common crawlers can't execute. Wistia's solution: Detect AI crawlers and serve transcripts directly.
🎙️AI Dubbing for Global Reach
Wistia's AI dubbing feature revealed a startling insight: Only 68% of visitors to their English-language site have browsers set to English. TED's recent study showed dramatically better conversion and engagement rates when content matches native languages.
🔮 Savage's Bold AI Predictions for 2026
"I'm really bullish on AI solving actually really small problems really well. I think we're gonna start to see things that like, would have taken an engineer a day to do before and it was low on their priority list—we're gonna start to see a lot more of that occurring."
Why This Matters: While the industry obsesses over AI agents coding for 30 hours straight, Savage sees the real value in 30-minute tasks that deliver immediate, reliable results. His company now has a Cursor bot in Slack where "someone brought up an issue, it's literally solved 30 minutes later."
💼 The Trust Paradox in AI-Generated Content
Savage offers a fascinating perspective on AI-generated video:
"For a long time, people saw video as 'if it's in a video, it's real'—it is very high trust because it's hard to make video. As humans, we value things that are good that require a lot of hard work. That is a signal to us of importance."
His prediction: Story will ultimately win. Just as CGI in movies initially wowed audiences but eventually required great storytelling to succeed, AI-generated content will follow the same trajectory.
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📰 Top 7 AI Trending News This Week
1 🤝OpenAI Strikes Massive $38 Billion Cloud Deal with Amazon
In a strategic pivot away from Microsoft, OpenAI announced a multi-year partnership with Amazon Web Services. The ChatGPT maker will begin using AWS infrastructure immediately, with all planned capacity coming online by end of 2026. OpenAI also announced reaching 1 million business customers—the fastest-growing business platform in history with 7 million ChatGPT for Work seats (up 40% in just 2 months).
2 🍎Apple Nears $1 Billion Google Deal to Power New Siri with Gemini
In a landmark agreement, Apple is finalizing a deal to license Google's 1.2 trillion parameter Gemini AI model as a stopgap solution for Siri's long-delayed revamp. The partnership signals a major strategic pivot as Apple races to catch up in the AI assistant space. The deal could be worth up to $1 billion annually.
3 🚨AI Taking White-Collar Jobs: "Much More in the Tank," Economists Warn
Across banking, automotive, and retail sectors, executives are openly warning employees and investors that AI is now taking over white-collar jobs. CNBC reports that while AI is playing a significant role in recent corporate layoffs, economists warn this is just the beginning. Companies are restructuring entire departments around AI capabilities rather than human workforces.
📎 CNBC
4 🤖Microsoft Announces 50+ AI Tools for the "Agentic Web" Era
Microsoft unveiled a comprehensive suite of AI agent development tools, positioning 2025 as "the year of the agentic web." The announcement includes new reasoning agents and enhanced Copilot features designed to transform workplace productivity. Microsoft is investing $80 billion in AI-enabled data centers in fiscal 2025, doubling down on enterprise AI infrastructure.
📎 VentureBeat | Reuters
5 📢Meta Unveils AI Agents to Automate Ads for Brands and Shoppers
Meta is betting its future on automation with AI agents that carry out advertising tasks on behalf of users. The technology promises to revolutionize how brands create and optimize ad campaigns, with AI assistants handling everything from creative generation to audience targeting and performance optimization.
📎 Adweek
6 💼McKinsey Report: Only 1% of Companies Believe They're at AI Maturity
Despite nearly universal AI investment, McKinsey's comprehensive workplace AI report reveals that just 1% of companies consider themselves at maturity. The report, titled "Superagency in the Workplace," examines how organizations can empower people to unlock AI's full potential while navigating the massive gap between adoption and mastery.
📎 McKinsey
7 🔒ChatGPT Security Vulnerabilities Discovered by Researchers
Cybersecurity researchers disclosed new vulnerabilities in OpenAI's ChatGPT that could allow attackers to trick the AI into leaking sensitive data. The discovery highlights ongoing security challenges as AI systems become more integrated into business operations. Additionally, OpenAI's new ChatGPT Atlas web browser (with ChatGPT built-in) is raising privacy concerns about data collection.
📎 The Hacker News | NPR
💎 Bonus Insights from Industry Leaders
🎯Forbes: AI Agents Work When You Automate Tasks, Not Entire Jobs
New research reveals successful AI implementation focuses on task automation rather than job replacement. One company successfully deploys 82 AI agents by targeting specific, repeatable tasks—while competitors who tried to replace entire roles ended up rehiring workers.
📎 Forbes
🏢BCG: How Agentic AI is Transforming Enterprise Platforms
Boston Consulting Group's latest analysis shows agentic AI is redefining business operations by installing intelligent virtual assistants capable of analyzing data and making autonomous decisions without human intervention.
📎 BCG
🏆Gartner: 33% of Enterprise Software to Include AI Agents by 2028
Gartner predicts that by 2028, one-third of enterprise software applications will incorporate AI agents, enabling 15% of work decisions to be made autonomously. The research firm's 2026 Strategic Technology Trends report emphasizes the rapid evolution toward agentic AI systems.
🎓 Key Takeaways for Business Leaders
1. Start Small, Scale Smart: Like Chris Savage's daily briefing agent, begin with simple, repeatable AI tasks that deliver immediate value.
2. Focus on Task Automation, Not Job Replacement: The most successful AI implementations target specific 30-minute to 1-day tasks, not entire roles.
3. Make Your Content AI-Discoverable: As AI search becomes dominant, ensure your video and multimedia content is accessible to LLMs through proper transcription and metadata.
4. Invest in Learning, Not Just Tools: With 99% of companies still far from AI maturity, the competitive advantage goes to organizations that invest in understanding AI capabilities, not just purchasing licenses.
5. Prepare for the Agentic Shift: By 2028, 33% of enterprise software will include AI agents. Start building organizational readiness now.