Your First AI Agent - Build a Research Assistant in 90 Minutes
Learn agent architecture fundamentals by building a conversational AI assistant with memory, tools, and domain-specific capabilities
Your First AI Agent
Build a working research assistant that thinks, remembers, and uses tools to help you accomplish real tasks.
Course Code: T3.1 | Duration: 90 minutes | Difficulty: Beginner
Prerequisites: Tier 2 completion, Python basics (functions, classes, loops)
What You'll Build
A conversational AI agent that:
- Maintains coherent conversations across 10+ turns
- Uses tools (web search, calculator, file access) when needed
- Remembers context from previous conversations
- Provides domain-specific value for your field
Learning Path
Introduction
Objectives, deliverables, and prerequisites
Quick Start (15 min)
Build minimal agent in 15 minutes
Core Build (50 min)
Add memory, tools, and persistence
Domain Applications
Economics Research
Research Assistant: ArXiv search, paper summarization
Software Engineering
Code Assistant: Review, test generation, debugging
Business Management
Business Intelligence: Market data, competitor analysis
Key Concepts
Agent Architecture: Perceive → Decide → Act loop Conversation Memory: State management across turns Tool Use: Web search, calculations, file access Domain Specialization: Custom system prompts and personas
Success Criteria
- ✅ Agent maintains coherent conversation across 10+ turns
- ✅ Agent uses tools correctly when needed
- ✅ Agent remembers context from previous conversations
- ✅ Agent provides domain-specific value
- ✅ Can modify agent behavior via system prompts
Time Commitment: 90 minutes for complete course. Budget 15 min quick start, 50 min core build, 25 min domain specialization.