Mastering AI Agents

Start your journey into Agentic AI with a clear roadmap of what this course offers.

In this lecture, you'll get familiar with the basics of AI and Azure Cloud, explore the historical evolution of AI from the 1950s to the rise of GenAI in 2022, and dive into the current era of AI agents.

We’ll define what Agentic AI is, showcase real-world examples, and highlight the capabilities that make autonomous agents a game-changer in modern workflows.

In this lecture, you'll explore the three foundational types of AI agents:
Reactive Agents
Planning-Based Agents
Tool-Using Agents (Agentic AI).

We’ll break down how each type functions, where they’re used, and why tool-using agents are at the forefront of AI innovation today. Through definitions, use cases, and examples, you’ll gain a clear understanding of how agent architectures shape automation and decision-making.

Discover the diverse landscape of agent development platforms available today.

This lecture introduces over 30+ tools and frameworks, including Azure AI Foundry, OpenAI Assistants API, AutoGen, Copilot Studio, and more.

You’ll learn what each platform offers, when to use them, and how they fit into different agentic workflows.

We’ll also introduce language models and explore the GenAI options available within Microsoft Azure, setting the stage for deeper development.

Dive into the powerful model ecosystem within Azure AI Foundry.

This lecture provides an overview of key model types — including LLMs, SLMs, Reasoning Models, and Chat Models — and explains how each supports different agentic use cases.

You’ll learn how to compare models based on capabilities, performance, and application fit, helping you choose the right model for your AI agent’s needs.

Understand what makes an AI agent truly autonomous. In this lecture, we break down the core components of agentic systems:

- Models that interpret prompts and generate intelligent responses

- Tools that enable agents to access knowledge and perform actions

You’ll learn how these elements interact to create agents that can reason, act, and adapt — forming the backbone of modern Agentic AI workflows.

Prepare your development environment for hands-on agent building. This lecture walks you through the essential tools and resources you'll need, including:

- Azure subscription & AI Foundry portal access

- Visual Studio Code & Python setup

- Azure CLI, Azure Dev CLI, and Git/GitHub integration

By the end of this lecture, you’ll have everything configured to start building and deploying AI agents using Azure’s powerful ecosystem.

Put theory into practice by building a fully functional AI agent using Azure AI Foundry Agent Service.

In this lecture, you’ll explore why AI agents are valuable from automation and decision-making to scalability and 24/7 availability.

We’ll walk through real-world use cases across productivity, research, sales, customer service, and development. You’ll also revisit the key components of an agent (model, tools, knowledge) and see how they come together in a live deployment.

In this hands-on lecture, you'll walk through a 30-minute lab to build your first AI agent using Azure AI Foundry. Starting with the Foundry interface, we’ll guide you through each step from selecting the right language model to configuring essential components for agentic behavior.

You’ll learn best practices for working in the lab environment, and understand the key decisions that shape agent performance. By the end of this session, you’ll have a working agent and the confidence to start building more advanced workflows.