AI agent fundamentals with Azure AI Foundry

AI agent fundamentals with Azure AI Foundry

This course is part of multiple programs.

Instructor: Microsoft

12,483 already enrolled

Included with

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

19 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

19 reviews

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Build and configure intelligent AI agents using Azure AI Foundry
Apply prompt engineering and conversation management techniques for AI agents
Integrate Azure AI services including language, search, and translation capabilities
Test, deploy, and document AI agents for real-world applications.

Skills you'll gain

Category: AI Integrations
Category: Generative AI Agents
Category: Application Deployment
Category: Test Case
Category: Persona (User Experience)
Category: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)
Category: Token Optimization
Category: Prompt Engineering Tools
Category: LLM Application
Category: Retrieval-Augmented Generation
Category: Multimodal Prompts
Category: Prompt Patterns
Category: Agentic systems
Category: Cloud Deployment

Tools you'll learn

Category: Prompt Engineering
Category: AI Workflows
Category: Model Deployment
Category: Microsoft Azure
Category: AI Orchestration
Category: Agentic Workflows

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

24 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is available as part of

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Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 4 modules in this course

Learn how to design, build, and evaluate intelligent AI agents using Microsoft Azure AI Foundry. This hands-on course introduces the foundations of AI agent development and guides you through creating practical agents that can respond to real-world scenarios using modern Azure AI services.

You’ll begin by exploring how AI agents differ from traditional automation systems and how reactive, deliberative, and hybrid agents operate in different use cases. Using Azure AI Foundry, you’ll learn to configure models, deploy AI services, and create effective system prompts that improve agent behavior and response quality. As the course progresses, you’ll build a portfolio-ready hotel information agent capable of handling guest inquiries, managing conversations, and integrating knowledge sources. You’ll also enhance agent capabilities using Azure AI services including language understanding, search, translation, sentiment analysis, and multimodal AI tools. The course concludes with testing, deployment, and portfolio development strategies that help you understand how AI agents operate in production environments. By the end of this course, you’ll be able to build, evaluate, and deploy intelligent AI agents using Azure AI Foundry and related Azure AI services.

Discover what makes AI agents different from traditional automation through hands-on exploration of real-world examples and Azure AI Foundry's powerful interfaces. You'll set up your development environment, test diverse AI capabilities across chat, vision, and speech, and create your first customized AI interaction.

What's included

7 videos2 readings6 assignments

7 videosTotal 26 minutes

Getting Started: What You’ll Build in This Course2 minutes
Introduction to AI agents4 minutes
Seeing agents in action3 minutes
Why Azure AI Foundry4 minutes
Platform architecture and components4 minutes
AI services ecosystem4 minutes
Hands-on with AI capabilities5 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

What You’ll Learn: Course Roadmap and General Expectations10 minutes
AI agent fundamentals10 minutes

6 assignmentsTotal 195 minutes

Your first AI interaction graded quiz30 minutes
Introduction to AI agents knowledge check30 minutes
Activity: Complete platform tour and setup45 minutes
Azure AI Foundry platform knowledge check15 minutes
Activity: Agent impact and types explorer45 minutes
Activity: Capability exploration and first agent30 minutes

Transform from AI explorer to agent builder as you design and develop a fully functional hotel information assistant using professional development practices. Use configuration settings, prompt engineering techniques, and conversation management to create an agent that handles real guest inquiries with accuracy and appropriate boundaries.

What's included

6 videos3 readings6 assignments

6 videosTotal 32 minutes

Enterprise agent success stories4 minutes
Design workshop demo6 minutes
From testing to building5 minutes
Agents interface deep dive7 minutes
The art of prompt engineering5 minutes
Advanced prompting strategies6 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Agent development lifecycle10 minutes
Understanding agent configuration parameters10 minutes
Fine-tuning concepts10 minutes

6 assignmentsTotal 210 minutes

Enhancing agent responses with prompt engineering graded quiz30 minutes
Activity: Hotel agent blueprint and lifecycle plan45 minutes
Agent design and development planning knowledge check15 minutes
Activity: Hotel agent creation in agents UI30 minutes
Building with Azure AI Foundry's agents interface knowledge check30 minutes
Activity: Prompt engineering for your agent60 minutes

Elevate your hotel agent from basic Q&A to intelligent assistant by integrating Azure's language understanding, knowledge search, and multi-service capabilities. You'll implement intent recognition, connect knowledge bases for accurate information retrieval, and design workflows that combine translation, sentiment analysis, and vision services.

What's included

6 videos1 reading6 assignments

6 videosTotal 25 minutes

Why language understanding matters4 minutes
Language service capabilities5 minutes
Knowledge as agent foundation3 minutes
Knowledge system demo4 minutes
Service integration vision4 minutes
Service capabilities deep dive5 minutes

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Search and retrieval concepts10 minutes

6 assignmentsTotal 180 minutes

Natural language understanding graded quiz30 minutes
Activity: Intent builder and language enhancement30 minutes
Language understanding and intent recognition knowledge check15 minutes
Activity: Knowledge system implementation45 minutes
Knowledge base integration and search knowledge check15 minutes
Activity: Service integration exploration45 minutes

Prepare your agent for the real world by implementing comprehensive testing strategies, understanding deployment options, and building your professional portfolio. You'll create test suites, explore API integration approaches, and compile a GitHub repository that showcases your journey from AI novice to capable agent developer.

What's included

6 videos3 readings6 assignments

6 videosTotal 32 minutes

Why testing saves reputations5 minutes
Azure evaluation tools demo8 minutes
From development to deployment5 minutes
Accessing your agent5 minutes
Under the hood4 minutes
Portfolio creation workshop5 minutes

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

Testing methodologies10 minutes
Deployment architecture10 minutes
Building your portfolio10 minutes

6 assignmentsTotal 180 minutes

Technical foundations and portfolio setup graded quiz30 minutes
Activity: Agent testing and evaluation30 minutes
Testing and quality assurance knowledge check15 minutes
Activity: Agent access and model deployment30 minutes
Understanding agent deployment options knowledge check15 minutes
Activity: Under the hood and portfolio creation60 minutes

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Instructor

Instructor ratings

(9 ratings)

Microsoft

382 Courses2,701,675 learners

Offered by

Microsoft

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Reviewed on Dec 13, 2025

Well designed course with enough detail in the explanation.

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.