AI Agent Essentials
An AI agent is not a chatbot with a longer memory. It is a system you hand a goal, a set of instructions, and a boundary — and it works until the job is done. AI Agent Essentials teaches you to design one that behaves.
Four sessions build the discipline in order. Session 1 takes you from manual work to agentic systems, teaching you to map a workflow and spot which parts an agent should own. Session 2 covers controlling agent behavior through context and instruction design, the single largest lever on whether an agent is useful or useless. Session 3 handles the part most people skip: safety, oversight, and performance — the guardrails that keep an autonomous system inside its lane. Session 4 is a capstone where you produce a complete agent design plan for a workflow that matters to you.
Four AI tools support the work: Workflow Mapper, Context and Instructions Designer, Safety and Guardrail Planner, and an Agent Design Evaluator that reviews your capstone. Each session adds a knowledge check and workbook reflection.
Complete the course and earn the badge. No coding required — this is design thinking applied to the autonomous systems you can actually trust.
What you’ll learn
Tell the difference between a chatbot, an automation, and a true AI agent Map a workflow and identify which parts an agent should own Control agent behavior through deliberate context and instruction design Set guardrails, oversight checkpoints, and performance measures Produce a complete agent design plan for a workflow that matters to you Get your capstone plan reviewed by the Agent Design Evaluator
Who this course is for
Professionals who want to put AI agents to work on real processes — operations, IT, product, and business owners evaluating agentic automation.
Course curriculum
- Get Started
Start here — how to get the most out of this course.
- Get Started
- Course Book
Your keep-forever reference guide.
- Course Book
- Workbook (PDF)
- Session 1: From Manual Work to Agentic Systems
Session 1 materials.
- Session 1: From Manual Work to Agentic Systems — Content Page
- AI-1: Workflow Mapper
- Session 1 — Knowledge Check
- Session 1 — Workbook Reflection
- Session 2: Controlling Agent Behavior
Session 2 materials.
- Session 2: Controlling Agent Behavior — Content Page
- AI-2: Context and Instructions Designer
- Session 2 — Knowledge Check
- Session 2 — Workbook Reflection
- Session 3: Safety Oversight Performance
Session 3 materials.
- Session 3: Safety Oversight Performance — Content Page
- AI-3: Safety and Guardrail Planner
- Session 3 — Knowledge Check
- Session 3 — Workbook Reflection
- Session 4: Agent Design Plan Capstone
Session 4 materials.
- Session 4: Agent Design Plan Capstone — Content Page
- AI-4: Agent Design Evaluator
- Session 4 — Knowledge Check
- Session 4 — Workbook Reflection
- Course Conclusion
Completion, badge evaluation, what you built, and what's next in the AI Essentials series.
- Course Conclusion