The Future of Software Is Agentic. Learn to Build It.

Book Description

The Future Belongs to Engineers Who Can Build AI Agents That Think Beyond Prompts

AI agents are replacing static features as the foundation of modern enterprise applications. Ultimate AI Agent Development with Semantic Kernel gives you a comprehensive, hands-on guide to building production-ready AI agent applications using Microsoft Semantic Kernel, from core concepts and prompt engineering to enterprise-grade deployment.

You begin with the fundamentals of large language models and AI-first development, then progressively advance through agent design patterns, plugin architecture, prompt templates, planning, memory, and orchestration. Every concept is grounded in practical implementation, building toward real-world applications including chatbots, automation systems, and retrieval-augmented generation pipelines that solve actual enterprise problems.

What you will learn
Build production-ready AI agent applications using the Microsoft Semantic Kernel framework.
Apply prompt engineering techniques to design effective agentic workflows and interactions.
Design AI-first application architectures using scalable patterns and enterprise best practices.
Implement plugins, planning strategies, and agent orchestration for complex AI workflows.
Develop enterprise-ready AI systems with memory, observability, and production deployment patterns.
Build real-world applications including chatbots, automation systems, and RAG-powered solutions.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction to AI-Powered Applications
2. Prompt Engineering in Agentic Applications
3. AI-First Development
4. Building Blocks for Agentic Applications
5. Introduction to Microsoft Semantic Kernel
6. Creating Our First Agent
7. Deep Dive into Plugins, Prompt Templates, and Planning
8. Semantic Kernel Agent Framework
9. Developing an Enterprise-Ready App
10. Building Real-World Applications
11. Semantic Kernel Roadmap and Ecosystem
12. Future Trends in AI and Agentic Systems
Credits
Index