AI Agents Made Easy: Let AI Do the Work for You

What You Will Learn to Do

• Understand what AI agents are in everyday language
  No buzzwords, no technical definitions. Just a clear, simple explanation of what AI agents do, how they are different from the AI tools you already use, and why everyone is talking about them.
• See AI agents do real work tasks
  Watch live demonstrations of AI agents answering questions from a document library, handling a meeting follow-up automatically, and supporting a decision with information it gathered on its own.
• Watch a live step-by-step setup of a simple AI agent
  The trainer will configure a basic AI agent from scratch, explaining every step clearly. You will understand exactly how it works and what you would need to do to set one up in your own environment.
• Know what to watch out for before using an AI agent
  AI agents are powerful, but they need the right guardrails. You will learn what questions to ask before switching one on, and how to keep a simple check on what it is doing.
• Understand what happens when AI tools work together
  Some AI tools can hand off tasks to other AI tools. You will see how this works and why it matters for keeping your data secure and your work on track.
• Leave with a practical checklist for your agency
  A simple checklist covering the key things to confirm before switching on an AI agent for the first time. Ready to use and easy to share.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, learners should be able to:

• Explain in plain language what AI agents are, how they differ from standard AI tools, and where they are already present in everyday government work tools.
• Describe the key steps involved in configuring a basic Knowledge Agent, having observed a full live trainer demonstration of the setup process.
• Identify common use cases for AI agents and describe the practical benefits and limitations of each.
• Apply a simple pre-deployment checklist to assess whether an AI agent is appropriate, safe, and ready for use in their work environment.
• Describe how AI agents can coordinate with each other and explain why human oversight remains important when multiple AI tools are working together.

Prerequisites

There are no formal prerequisites for this course. Participants are expected to:

• Be comfortable using a laptop and standard browser-based applications in a work context.
• Have basic familiarity with typing, uploading files, and navigating web-based tools.
• Have a general awareness of AI tools, though no hands-on experience is required before attending.

Course Requirements

• Bring Your Own Laptop
• Windows or Mac. Chrome browser recommended.
• Participants on government-issued devices should confirm that browser access to the workshop tools is not restricted by their agency’s IT policy before attending.

Course Outline

1. What Are AI Agents? The Agent Landscape and What Is Already in Your Organisation’s Tools
2. AI Agents That Answer Questions: A Live Setup from Your Own Documents
3. AI Agents That Take Action: Automating a Simple Workflow from Start to Finish
4. AI Agents That Help You Decide: Reviewing Options and Surfacing the Right Information
5. When AI Talks to AI: What Happens When Agents Work Together
6. What to Watch Out For: Trending Agent Tools, Known Risks, and What Not to Install
7. Keeping AI Agents Safe, Simple, and Under Control
8. Your AI Agent Checklist: What to Check Before You Switch One On

Demonstration sessions use current no-code, browser-based tools. Core demonstrations use tools with free or standard-access tiers.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Explain in plain language what AI agents are, how they differ from standard AI tools, and where they are already present in everyday government work tools.
• Describe the key steps involved in configuring a basic Knowledge Agent, having observed a full live trainer demonstration of the setup process.
• Identify common use cases for AI agents and describe the practical benefits and limitations of each.
• Apply a simple pre-deployment checklist to assess whether an AI agent is appropriate, safe, and ready for use in their work environment.
• Describe how AI agents can coordinate with each other and explain why human oversight remains important when multiple AI tools are working together.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is open to all participants regardless of level or technical background. No prior knowledge of AI agents is required, and no coding experience is needed.

It is particularly relevant for participants who have been asked to explore AI adoption in their agency, those who manage or coordinate administrative processes and workflows, and anyone who wants to understand what AI agents actually are before they become part of everyday government work.