Building AI Agents with the Foundry Extension in Visual Studio Code

AI agents are transforming how we automate complex tasks, but getting started with agent development can feel overwhelming. This course simplifies the process, guiding you through the fundamentals of building intelligent agents directly within your preferred development environment. Through clear written explanations and structured code walk-throughs, you will transition from understanding basic agent concepts to designing, testing, and deploying your own functional AI agents. You will learn to leverage the Foundry extension in Visual Studio Code to manage prompts, integrate external data, and evaluate agent performance. What you'll learn: Understand the foundational architecture of AI agents and how they process information; Configure your development environment in Visual Studio Code using the Foundry extension; Design effective system prompts and establish retrieval-augmented generation patterns; Test and debug agent behaviors systematically to ensure reliable outputs; Deploy AI agents to production environments while following security and performance best practices; Evaluate agent responses using modern benchmarking and evaluation methodologies. The course starts with essential terminology and setup before moving into agent configuration, prompt engineering, and deployment strategies. You will progress through logical written modules that build your confidence step-by-step. This course is designed for beginners, developers, and tech enthusiasts who want to build AI agents, with no prior experience in AI development or machine learning required. Start reading today to build your first intelligent AI agent using the Foundry extension.