All teams · 5 min · Updated 2026-10-15
Types of AI coworkers: chat, agents, and custom bots
Use chat coworkers to think and draft, agentic coworkers to finish multi-step work across files and tools, and custom bots for specialized jobs wired to your SOPs—same idea of “hire help,” different employment contracts.
Hire by the job
Chat: research, brainstorming, writing, analysis in conversation.
Agentic coworkers: delegated tasks that return documents, spreadsheets, research packs, and scheduled runs.
Custom agents: narrow specialists connected to your systems with explicit permissions.
Vendors are talent pools, not the OS
Claude, Grok, ChatGPT, and others are examples of talent you can hire into roles.
coworkOS is the operating layer: jobs, permissions, review, and rollout—independent of which model you staff.
FAQ
Should we standardize on one model?
Standardize on jobs, permissions, and review. Prefer one primary vendor early for simplicity; add specialists when a job demands it.
Next step
AI Coworker Implementation Kit
For US operators: hire your first agentic coworkers with a 14-day plan, permission model, workflow menu, and governance checklist—works across major AI tools.
Get the Implementation Kit