Chan's AI Weekly · July 19, 2026

AI agent Gwen slashed contract costs from $1,500 to $70 each week, finalizing deals where humans didn't. Meanwhile, five models claimed reliability in their pitches, but two fell by the wayside.

For AI, being the best isn't enough anymore — it's about which one you can count on to keep working well. This week, four major releases focused on making sure they work smoothly, showing that being reliable is what's most important now. Take the medical field, for example, where AI handled contracts more cheaply and quickly than people did, proving the importance of being consistent rather than just powerful. But recent failures indicate a continuing problem: AI needs to prove it can keep working well over time, not just start off strong.