AI Explored Podcast: Building AI Agents – A Comprehensive Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: AI Explored
• Host: Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner—AI Marketing
• Episode: Building AI Agents: How to Get Started
• Release Date: April 22, 2025

1. Introduction to AI Agents

In the latest episode of AI Explored, host Michael Stelzner delves into the fascinating world of AI agents with guest Sandy Carter, a renowned futurist and Chief Operating Officer at Unstoppable Domains. The discussion centers around understanding AI agents, their applications, and practical steps to integrate them into businesses, especially for marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs.

2. Sandy Carter's Journey into AI

Sandy Carter shares her extensive background in artificial intelligence, tracing her roots back to her college days at Duke University where she took one of the first AI classes taught by a pioneering professor. Her early experiences include working on IBM's Watson project, contributing to AI-driven innovations like AI-generated recipes showcased at South by Southwest, and developing an AI startup focused on matching company cultures with innovation tactics.

Sandy Carter [02:30]: "I actually started at AI in college. One of my professors, he was talking to me, about the future is all AI."

This foundational experience paved the way for her roles at Amazon and various startups, highlighting her deep-seated passion and expertise in AI.

3. The Upside of AI Agents for Businesses

Sandy emphasizes the transformative potential of AI agents in enhancing brand experiences and automating tasks. Unlike traditional generative AI, which responds to queries, AI agents can "make decisions on your brand's behalf" (07:12), offering proactive assistance such as automating repetitive tasks or providing tailored recommendations to customers.

Key Benefits:

• Enhanced Customer Experience: AI agents can maintain brand continuity and engage customers more effectively.

  Sandy Carter [08:46]: "You can have an amazing experience. You can really enhance your brand by using AI agents as well as making your customer experience even more engaging than before."

• Operational Efficiency: AI agents can handle a significant portion of customer inquiries, freeing up human resources for more complex tasks.

  Sandy Carter [10:30]: "We have an AI agent answering about 30% of the questions, and our customer satisfaction went up by 10 points."

4. Getting Started with Building AI Agents

For those new to AI agents, Sandy recommends beginning with educational resources before diving into hands-on experimentation. She shares her initial approach of exploring existing agents and experimenting with various tools, which, while educational, highlighted the need for structured learning.

Sandy Carter [11:18]: "I really needed something or wanted something a lot simpler than heavy coding background. So I really started playing with some different tools."

Recommendations:

• Take Overview Courses: Understand the fundamentals through comprehensive courses on agent platforms.
• Start Small: Implement AI agents internally for tasks like reporting or as personal assistants before scaling externally.

5. Roles: Role-Based vs. Autonomous Agents

Sandy distinguishes between role-based agents and autonomous agents, explaining the flexibility and potential pitfalls of each.

• Role-Based Agents: Designed to perform specific functions within defined boundaries.

  Sandy Carter [12:47]: "Maybe I didn't want him, him or her to take an order for me or advise me on pizza. So that would be playing a particular role."

• Autonomous Agents: Possess the ability to make independent decisions and engage in broader interactions, which can sometimes lead to unintended behaviors.

  Sandy Carter [15:00]: "Autonomous means autonomous. [...] She started tweeting autonomously, so she had to redirect her back."

Considerations:

• Control vs. Flexibility: Balancing the need for agents to perform tasks independently while maintaining control to prevent errors.
• Use Cases: Autonomous agents may be suitable for creative tasks, while customer support agents should have stricter controls to avoid misinformation.

6. Technical Aspects: Integration and Functionality

The integration of AI agents into various platforms and their technical capabilities are crucial for their effectiveness.

Integration Points:

• Social Media Platforms: Embedding AI agents into platforms like X (Twitter) or Telegram to automate interactions and provide real-time responses.

  Sandy Carter [16:35]: "Some agents sit in Discord... My agent for Unstoppable sits on my website like a chatbot."

• Websites and Mobile Apps: Deploying agents as chatbots or standalone applications to interact with users directly on business platforms.

Functionality:

• Decision-Making: Beyond responding to queries, AI agents can make informed decisions based on data inputs.

  Sandy Carter [17:58]: "If someone asks a question, here is the answer to it... this was a way to refine the agent as I watch the way it interacts."

• Database Integration: Advanced agents can interact with databases to retrieve and update information dynamically.

  Sandy Carter [40:28]: "Looking up whether a customer is active or expired, knowing if a credit card declined."

7. Training Data and Validation

Effective AI agents rely heavily on the quality and relevance of their training data. Sandy outlines the importance of defining clear objectives and sourcing appropriate data sets.

Key Steps:

1. Define Objectives: Clearly articulate what tasks the agent should perform.

   Sandy Carter [32:06]: "Understanding that objective is really important."

2. Data Sourcing: Determine whether to use proprietary data, public datasets, or user-generated content.

   Sandy Carter [32:20]: "Mine was proprietary, so I didn't have to use some of these other tools that are out there."

3. Validation Sets: Implement quality checks to ensure the agent processes data accurately.

   Sandy Carter [36:12]: "It alerts you on a training abnormality... keeps on top of it."

Advancements:

• Multimodal Content: AI agents are increasingly capable of understanding and processing various data types, including video and audio.

  Sandy Carter [33:16]: "Absolutely. And in my book, I have a whole chapter on multimodal and how to really look into that."

8. Future of AI Agents: Agent-to-Agent Interactions

Sandy envisions a future where AI agents communicate seamlessly with each other to perform complex tasks, enhancing efficiency and personalization.

Examples:

• Vacation Planning: An agent that understands personal preferences interacts with various service-specific agents (flights, hotels, activities) to plan a complete vacation.

  Sandy Carter [27:03]: "Our agent would talk to a flight agent... coordinating with a hotel agent."

• Organizational Integration: AI agents within a company could collaborate, mirroring human team interactions to streamline operations.

  Sandy Carter [29:07]: "A Salesforce or Oracle type of company creating interconnected agents to replicate organizational workflows."

Challenges:

• Complexity Management: Ensuring agents collaborate effectively without creating redundancies or conflicts.
• Continuous Learning: Agents must constantly update their knowledge base to remain effective and relevant.

9. Practical Applications and Case Studies

Sandy shares real-world applications of AI agents, highlighting both successes and challenges.

Case Study: Pizza My Heart An AI agent modeled after the brand's mascot, Jimmy the Surfer, enhances customer interaction by recommending pizzas and handling orders.

Sandy Carter [08:46]: "Jimmy the Surfer talks like a surfer in the AI Agent... It recommended a different pizza for me, which now is my favorite pizza."

Internal Use at Unstoppable Domains An AI agent handles 30% of customer support queries, improving customer satisfaction while allowing human agents to focus on more pressing issues.

Sandy Carter [10:30]: "Our customer sat went up 10 points even though we leveraged and used an agent."

10. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with reflections on the rapid advancements in AI agent technology and their impending integration into various facets of business and daily life. Sandy underscores the importance of continual learning and adaptation to harness the full potential of AI agents.

Michael Stelzner [42:16]: "This has been just an absolutely fascinating exploration into the future that is going to be the reality for so many of us. Very, very soon."

Sandy encourages listeners to connect with her for further insights and resources, emphasizing the growing ecosystem of AI agents and their pivotal role in shaping future business strategies.

Key Quotes

• Sandy Carter [07:12]: "An AI agent can actually say, oh, I think you're going to do A or B... it's going to automate a repetitive task."

• Sandy Carter [08:35]: "I really wanted to deep dive on agents. This is how actually Michael and I started talking about this..."

• Sandy Carter [16:35]: "Some agents sit in Discord... some on websites like a chatbot."

• Sandy Carter [36:12]: "It alerts you on a training abnormality... ensuring quality."

• Sandy Carter [27:03]: "Agents that talk to agents... enhancing intricacy and efficiency."

Resources and Connect

For more insights and to connect with Sandy Carter:

• Book: AI First Human Always – Available on Amazon
• Social Media:
  • Telegram: SandyCarter
  • X (Twitter): Sandy_Carter
  • LinkedIn: Sandy Carter

This episode of AI Explored provides a deep dive into the practicalities and future of AI agents, offering valuable insights for businesses looking to integrate AI into their operations. Whether you're a marketer, creator, or entrepreneur, Sandy Carter's expertise illuminates the path to leveraging AI agents for enhanced efficiency and customer engagement.