The New York Times Gift Article – New A.I. bots can do more than just chat. They can edit files, send emails, book trips and cause trouble. “…The bots can gather information from across the internet, write reports, edit files or even send and receive messages through email and text — driving online conversations largely on their own. For people like Mr. Heyneman, these bots are almost like an employee that people can delegate work to at any time of day. In some cases, the employee is reliable. Other times, not so much. Many A.I. researchers, tech executives and pundits believe that agents will soon replace white-collar office workers. Last month, Block, the financial technology company that owns Square, Cash App and Tidal, said it was cutting 40 percent of its work force as it anticipated the rise of this kind of technology — perhaps the most striking example of a company eliminating employees because of what A.I. may soon do. Other experts, however, argue that flaws could hinder the technology’s progress. Like other chatbots, A.I. agents can make mistakes. And because these mistakes might involve sending email messages or editing files, they can wreak havoc. When Mr. Heyneman told Davos organizers that he could not pay his bill, they threatened to bar him from the event. He ended up paying nearly 4,000 euros (about $4,600) just to attend. During his stay in Davos, Mr. Heyneman was briefly arrested when he left a gadget built by his start-up in a hotel lobby and the local police questioned whether the device was dangerous. When using agents, some people give them ample rein to take action on their behalf — and are willing to face the consequences when they slip up. “Mistakes are going to happen. But if you have ever had any employees who are human, you know that they are going to make mistakes, too,” said Kyle Wild, a software engineer in Berkeley, Calif., who uses the technology to pay for parking tickets, search the internet for date-night ideas and even send texts to friends, colleagues, restaurants and other businesses…”