Most people dip their toes into AI by playing with ChatGPT.
I took a different path: I built an interactive quiz to help people discover their AI Superpower Score.
This quiz grew my email list and became my test bed for learning.
I learned how to build practical AI agents using tools like Zapier, Tally, ConvertKit, and OpenAI.
In this post, I’ll explain exactly how I built it.
I’ll show how it works behind the scenes.
I’ll also detail how I’m evolving it from workflow automation into a true AI agent.
This AI agent personalizes responses, scores submissions with AI, and adapts over time.
This is how to turn an AI Skills Quiz into an AI Agent
This is a great place to start if you’re curious about building the foundation for AI agents through workflow automation.
You’re entering the field at exactly the right time.
1. Why AI Agents are having their moment (and why you should care)
Before diving into my AI Skills Quiz story, let’s talk about why building AI agents matters right now. The AI agents market was valued at $3.86 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow rapidly, with a 45.1% annual increase projected from 2024 to 2030.
Even more telling, Gartner predicts AI agents for enterprises will significantly increase. They will be found in a third of software applications in the next three years. This is an increase from 1% in 2024.
What exactly is an AI agent?
AI agents are AI-powered applications designed to carry out tasks autonomously or help users finish them.
Unlike traditional applications, AI agents leverage the power of generative AI to understand context, learn from interactions, and make decisions.
But here’s the key distinction: what I built first is a workflow automation agent. It is a sophisticated automated system. It follows predetermined logic to process inputs and trigger actions.
While powerful, it doesn’t yet use AI to interpret or learn. But it’s the perfect foundation for evolving into an AI agent.
2. The origin story: why I built the quiz
I wanted to create something valuable, interactive, and educational. I wanted it to align with my brand, Knowledge Enthusiast blog, and YouTube Channel. It also fits with the Fuel Your Mind newsletter. I aimed to give people a quick win.
The idea was to help people understand where they stand with AI skills in under two minutes.
The quiz offers three possible personas:
- AI Beginner (Just getting started)
- AI Explorer (Experimenting but inconsistent)
- AI Trailblazer (Power user with workflows in place)
It’s a simple 10-question format.
But what happens after someone hits “submit” is where the real magic occurs.
This is when my simple form transforms into a sophisticated workflow automation, showing clear AI agent potential.
3. The tech stack: building intelligence without code
Here’s what powers the quiz and makes it feel seamless:
- Tally: For building a beautiful, fast quiz interface
- Zapier: For connecting the pieces and triggering automations
- ConvertKit: For tagging users and sending the proper follow-up sequence
- OpenAI (coming next): For scoring and writing personalized feedback
Each tool plays a clear role:
- Tally collects the answers
- Zapier tags the user and triggers the correct email flow
- ConvertKit sends out a 3-email sequence based on their persona
This stack exemplifies what experts call “workflow automation agents.” These systems process inputs, make rule-based decisions, and take autonomous actions.
While not yet using AI for interpretation, it demonstrates the foundational architecture that makes adding AI intelligence straightforward.
The magic isn’t in complex coding; it’s in connecting simple tools to create intelligent behavior patterns.
4. Behind the scenes: how it works (workflow automation in action)
Here’s the step-by-step process that makes this a sophisticated workflow automation ready for AI enhancement:
- User completes the quiz on Tally.
- Tally sends the responses to Zapier.
- Zapier applies predetermined logic to decide which persona the user fits based on their total score.
- Zapier applies a tag in ConvertKit (AI Beginner, AI Explorer, AI Trailblazer) based on that persona or total score.
- ConvertKit automatically sends a tailored 3-email follow-up sequence.
This autonomous decision-making and action-taking create a smooth, personalized experience. It processes by applying rule-based logic to categorize.
Finally, it acts by triggering customized email sequences. All these actions occur without human intervention.
It doesn’t yet use AI for interpretation. But it has all the components needed to evolve into a true AI agent.
The results speak for themselves: strong open and click rates that have helped grow my newsletter.
I launched the quiz at the end of May 2025.
5. Why this approach works (and what the data says)
My workflow automation approach aligns with broader industry trends. Companies are seeing massive time savings.
For example, Lumen will reduce a traditional four-hour process to just 15 minutes in 2024. It is expected to project annual time savings of $50 million.
My quiz operates on a smaller scale, but the principle is the same. Automate decision-making and personalization to save time, and these actions improve outcomes.
The no-code approach is compelling for building these foundational systems.
Users can create automated workflows that trigger actions based on predefined conditions, reducing manual effort and increasing productivity.
This describes precisely what my AI Skills quiz does. And it provides the perfect architecture for adding AI capabilities later.
6. What makes this ready for AI (not just automation)
Right now, my AI Skills quiz is a sophisticated workflow automation that follows rule-based logic.
But it has all the components needed to evolve into a true AI agent:
- Structured data collection: The quiz captures consistent, analyzable data that AI can learn from.
- Decision points: The workflow automation agent already makes categorization decisions. This makes it a perfect place to insert AI interpretation. It’s better than using rigid rules.
- Action framework: The automated email sequences offer a foundation for AI-generated, personalized content.
- Feedback loop potential: User engagement data from emails can train the mechanism to improve its categorization and content over time.
An OpenAI integration can transform this from rule-based automation into genuine AI intelligence.
Instead of “if answer A, then category X,” it will become “analyze response patterns and nuance.”
This approach helps to decide the most appropriate persona and generate personalized insights.
7. Lessons learned: what you can steal
You don’t need to dive into heavy-duty coding or complex AI systems to start building the foundation for AI agents.
Start with something you already know works:
- A quiz
- A lead magnet
- A survey
- A form response
Build the workflow automation first, then add AI intelligence layer by layer.
You can steal my exact tech stack (or use a slight variation):
- Tally + Zapier + ConvertKit + OpenAI
Start with tags, logic, and automated sequences. Then, let AI handle the interpretation, personalization, and content generation.
The key insight is that successful AI agents are built on solid workflow automation foundations.
Focus on getting the basic automation right first, then enhance it with AI capabilities.
8. The evolution plan: from automation to intelligence
I can systematically evolve the AI Superpower Score system from workflow automation into a full AI agent.
Here’s a potential roadmap:
Phase 1 (Current): Rule-based workflow automation with predetermined logic and static email sequences.
Phase 2 (Next): AI-enhanced scoring, where OpenAI analyzes response patterns for more nuanced categorization, moving beyond rigid logic.
To make this leap, I’ll need a solid dataset of 300–500 completed quiz responses to train the AI effectively. That’s enough to spot meaningful patterns without getting stuck in analysis paralysis.
I’ll need your help to get to 300+ submissions. You can help by taking the quiz: Click here for your AI Superpower Score.
Phases 3, 4, and 5:
- Dynamic content generation, where AI writes personalized feedback and recommendations based on individual quiz responses.
- Learning system that improves categorization accuracy and content relevance based on user engagement patterns.
- Predictive intelligence that anticipates what learning resources users need based on their quiz persona and behavior patterns.
Each phase builds on the prior one. It transforms a simple workflow automation into a sophisticated AI agent that learns and adapts.
Bringing it all together
This project started as a simple quiz. It evolved into sophisticated workflow automation.
This quiz provides the perfect foundation for building a true AI agent. That evolution reflects a broader shift in our thinking about AI tools.
Start with solid workflow automation, then layer on AI intelligence.
AI agents can automate and manage tasks, making workers more creative.
The democratization of AI agent creation through no-code tools enables individual creators, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
We can all build sophisticated automated systems. Before, these systems were only available to large corporations with massive technical teams, but that’s no longer the case.
Build the foundation first.
You don’t need to build Skynet (a Terminator movie reference) or even start with AI.
Start with a quiz or a workflow automation. Start with a problem you understand and an audience you want to serve.
Then layer on AI intelligence … one enhancement at a time.
The AI agent revolution isn’t coming; it’s already here.
But the best AI agents are built on solid automation foundations.
First, get the workflows right, then make them intelligent.
Want to try the quiz? Click here to find your AI Superpower Score.
If you’re building your quiz or AI agent, please contact me. I may turn this quiz workflow automation agent into a template you can steal.
The best way to really understand AI agents is to build one yourself.
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