Building AI Agents with OpenAI Function Calling and Python

Standard chatbots can only talk, but AI agents can take real-world action. By connecting language models to external tools, you can build intelligent assistants that query databases, fetch live web data, and automate routine workflows. This text-only course guides you through building functional AI agents from scratch using pure Python and OpenAI Function Calling, avoiding the overhead of heavy third-party frameworks. What you'll learn: - Understand the core concepts of AI agents, tool use, and the loop of observation and action. - Master OpenAI Function Calling by defining precise JSON schemas for your tools. - Connect your Python scripts to external APIs and databases to let your agent fetch real-time data. - Implement robust error handling and fallback mechanisms when tool execution fails. - Use modern Python type hints and Pydantic to ensure structured, reliable outputs from your model. - Apply basic security practices to safely execute agent actions and prevent malicious inputs. You will start with the fundamental definitions of agentic workflows and tool-use mechanics before moving step-by-step through writing clean Python code, defining custom tools, and managing conversational state. This course is designed for Python beginners who want to explore AI development. No prior experience with machine learning or AI frameworks is required. Start reading today and build your first active AI assistant.