Today is day 2,124 of my daily barefoot-style running streak. I have run 16,326.36km so far, which leaves 23,748.64km of the 40,075km lap of the world. I am recording this vlog three or four months behind real time, and AI moves faster than that. Some of what I say about Claude Cowork and Claude Code may already be out of date by the time you read this. If you have been resisting AI, the direction still holds.

How AI has moved in the last few years

A couple of years ago, ChatGPT arrived. You could hold a conversation with AI and get accurate information back nine times out of ten. That was a big step.

The next step was automation. AI began to connect to workflows and trigger actions. Now we are in the agentic stage, where AI completes tasks for you independently. Claude Cowork and Claude Code sit in that stage.

For me, Claude has replaced my use of ChatGPT. I still use Gemini for fact checking, because Google owns it and I find it potentially more accurate for that job. Everything else goes through Claude.

What Claude Cowork is

Claude Cowork is a desktop app, and you need a paid plan to use it. It has recently reached mobile through Dispatch, which sends messages from your phone to your desktop. That means your computer must be switched on and running.

The best way I can describe it is a co-worker. You connect it to the software you use. You give it context by pointing it at your folder structures and documents. Then you ask it to do things. It reads the relevant information first, finds a way to do the task, and you tweak the output until it is right. Once it works, you save it as a skill and reuse it.

I think of it as onboarding an employee. A new hire needs access, context and clear instructions. Cowork needs the same.

You can schedule recurring tasks, and you can set approval steps so you check everything at the start. If you become comfortable, you can let it proceed on its own.

The honest limitation is permissions. Because it controls your desktop and browser, you keep clicking to allow things. It is not fully autonomous yet. It is close, and many jobs that need no permission run independently.

What Claude Code is

Claude Code lets you build software, write code or create web pages by talking to a bot. I have no coding background, and it still works.

Here is a real example. I was frustrated by the glitches in my dashboards. I use Airtable as my database, and one wrong formula entered by one person could throw off the numbers. With Claude Code, I built a live sync with the Airtable database. It reads the raw data, runs the calculations in real time and shows me a dashboard of the metrics I care about. If I name a metric, it builds it and displays it the way I want.

Over the coming month I am building more agents, and dashboard reports that show what each agent has done and how well it did it.

Where this is heading for my businesses

I see a clear path to AI agents doing 90% of the recurring work in my businesses. That is the target, not where I am today. It will move at a different pace for different tasks, and I will keep checking the output before I trust it.

I have always said there is a place for people, and there is. That place shifts away from lower-level, repetitive work, because AI does that quickly and well. If you are unfamiliar with these tools, learn them now. The productivity gap will widen for anyone who waits.

What running taught me about this

The streak is built on the same idea. I do not rely on motivation or a big push. I run every day, and the system carries the work. Day 2,124 exists because of repetition, not intensity.

Good AI systems work the same way. You set them up carefully, check them early, then let consistency do the work. You also need to accept the limits. I am still clicking permissions in Cowork. I still fact check. Trust is built in small steps, the same as a long run.

Why this connects to the mission

This vlog is part of a fundraiser to raise £1M for children's causes, including Great Ormond Street and BBC Children in Need. The plan is to run a lap of the world, 40,075km, vlogging as I go, barefoot style. The more people I reach, the more I can raise.

Time is the limit on that mission. If AI agents take on repetitive work in my businesses, I protect more time and energy for the streak and the fundraising. That is the real reason I care about these tools. They support the mission. They do not replace it.

If you use Claude Cowork or Claude Code, or you are unsure where to start, leave a comment. I read them and reply where I am useful. If you believe in what I am doing, follow along, share the episode or subscribe. I will be back out tomorrow for day 2,125.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/_N-C1Nggv3I