Overview

AI agents are the next wave: AI that doesn't just answer questions, but takes a goal, makes a plan, uses tools and gets the task done. This practical, jargon-free course explains what agents are and how they differ from chatbots, where they are being used, how to work with them through clear goals and oversight and how to use them safely, with control and accountability in mind. Four short units.

Target Audience

All staff and teams, at any level and in any function. No technical background required.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, learners will gain a full and clear understanding of:

• What an AI agent is and how it differs from a chatbot
• Where AI agents are being used across business
• How to work with agents: goals, tools and oversight
• The specific risks of AI agents, from permissions to security
• How to use AI agents responsibly, with control and accountability in mind

Features and Benefits

• Written for complete beginners: practical, jargon-free and easy to follow.
• Current and fact-checked: researched against up-to-date 2026 sources, including the latest tools and regulation.
• Four short, focused units with gated progression; each unit unlocks once the previous one is passed.
• Light, formative interactions running through every unit (click-to-reveal, quick knowledge checks and estimate-and-reveal sliders), never scored.
• An end-of-unit quiz that finishes with a marking screen showing which answers were right or wrong, with a short explanation for each.
• Easy retakes: a failed quiz drops the learner straight back into freshly shuffled questions, with no need to click through the unit again.
• Optional audio narration on every screen (the learner chooses to listen), plus narrated motion-graphic video introductions, with captions throughout for accessibility.
• Responsive layout, suitable for PC, tablet and mobile.
• SCORM 1.2 conformant (single SCO); reports completion and an averaged score to any compliant LMS.

Course Contents

Unit 1: Understanding AI Agents

• What an AI agent is and how it differs from a chatbot
• The capabilities that make something an agent
• How an agent works: goals, plans, tools and actions
• What agents are good at and where they fall short

Unit 2: AI Agents Across Business

• Customer service, software, research and sales agents
• Operations, finance, admin and personal-assistant agents
• Real examples across the industries
• An honest reality check on where adoption stands

Unit 3: Working with AI Agents

• Giving an agent a clear goal and the right tools
• Permissions and least privilege; instructing agents well
• Keeping a human in the loop and checking the work
• When an agent is the right tool and when it isn't

Unit 4: Using AI Agents Responsibly

• Least privilege, the number-one control
• Human oversight, security and prompt injection
• Data, accountability, guardrails and monitoring
• When not to use an agent and governance