AI assistants learn to act on their own, but price and access vary

If this week's stories share a common thread, it's that AI is moving from answering questions to carrying out tasks. But the road from promise to everyday use is still long, and it's worth knowing the difference between what you can use today and what you can wait for.

AI that works while you're away

Anthropic has opened a research preview of Claude Duet, an app where the AI works in the background and only gets in touch when something needs your attention. It is meant to be able to handle email, calendar and larger tasks on its own. There is a catch, though: Duet is so far only available to subscribers in the US, and you have to join a waitlist. A research preview means a product has been opened early to a limited audience, before it is finished.

Elon Musk is heading in the same direction. He says Grok Bot can call companies, ask for something on your behalf and send you a summary. But the feature is not documented, and pricing and rollout are unclear. For now, it is an announcement, not a product you can count on.

On the more down-to-earth side, a copywriter's experiment shows that you can run a small language model locally on a 10-year-old mini PC without a graphics card. It worked, but the responses took a long time, and the smallest model made mistakes. In other words, local AI is possible, but it takes patience.

Help with learning and building

Google has added hundreds of free textbooks to Gemini Notebook, so students can get answers based only on the book they select. It's a smart way to curb the AI's tendency to make things up, but the offering is so far only available in the US and India. Google has also made it possible to move interactive apps from Gemini to Google Sites in a few clicks. The app lands in a private draft that you can edit, publish and share.

If you need to create graphics, the picture is more sober. A review in Alphr calls Piktochart's editing tools good, but says the AI part disappoints. An industry overview from DesignRush points out that most AI infographic tools require a fair amount of manual work.

For those building their own solutions, DeepSeek has two API tools that can search the web and fetch web pages. Server-side tool calls via DeepSeek Harness, Claude Code and Codex are free until November 1, 2026. An API is an entry point where programs can use an AI service directly.

What can you do?

Start with what is available in Denmark. Try Claude, which comes in a free version and in paid plans from USD 20 a month. Check what the plans include before you pay. If you're curious about the Google tools, try building a small app in Gemini and moving it to a website.

Keep an eye out for when Duet, Grok Bot and the textbooks in Gemini Notebook reach Europe. And be skeptical of big promises: Ask whether the feature is documented, what it costs, and how much work you are still left with yourself.