Quick Labs

Build Your First AI Agent

Hands-on lab: build a small AI agent that can use tools, call APIs, and complete a multi-step task — all in 60 minutes.

1 Hour

Instructor

Gnan

What you'll learn

Tool / function calling fundamentals

The agent loop: plan → call → observe → repeat

Wiring tools (search, calculator, file I/O)

Where agents work today, and where they fail

Requirements

Basic Python familiarity
A laptop with internet access

About this course

In this 1-hour lab you'll go from chatbot to agent: an LLM that can decide which tools to call, when to call them, and when it's done. You'll wire up function calling, a small set of tools (search, calculator, file read), and a simple loop. Leave with a working agent prototype and a clear sense of what's hype vs. real in the agent ecosystem.

Course curriculum

5 lessons

0–10 min: From chatbot to agent — the mental model
10–25 min: Defining your tools
25–45 min: Building the agent loop
45–55 min: Trying a multi-step task
55–60 min: When NOT to use an agent

Your instructor

Gnan

Program Manager — FX, CLS

4.7 instructor rating

Gnan is a Program Manager at CLS (FX settlement) and a builder who has spent his career taking MVPs to market. He brings a practical, execution-first lens to AI agents — focused on the parts of the agent loop that actually have to work in production, not just demos.