Workshops

Beyond the Hype: Building AI Agents with Spring

Adib Saikali - Broadcom / Christian Tzolov - Broadcom

In a world saturated with overblown headlines and bold predictions about AI agents—ranging from sci-fi utopias to dystopian nightmares—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the hype. If you’re tired of the sensationalism, the best way to cut through the noise is to roll up your sleeves and learn how the technology actually works. This workshop will help you do just that, providing a clear and practical introduction to building AI agents with Spring AI. Designed for Spring developers interested in exploring AI agents—no prior AI experience required—we’ll cover essential AI concepts and show you how to integrate them into your applications. Bring your laptop and a readiness to learn. We’ll supply Spring AI sample code along with the necessary API keys for AI services. By the end of the day, you’ll have the skills to add generative AI features to your Spring apps. Whether you decide to join the hype train or forge your own path, you’ll be well-equipped to make informed decisions and shape your future in the evolving AI landscape.

Key topics covered

• A Concise History of AI/ML
• Introduction to Generative AI Models
• Prompt Engineering Techniques & Best Practices
• Semantic Search with Vector Databases
• RAG: Retrieval Augmented Generation
• Extending LLMs with Tool Calling
• Evaluation: How to tell if the AI is doing what you think it should be doing
• Architecture of AI powered applications
• How to integrate AI into existing applications
• The landscape of tools and libraries of building AI powered applications
• Agentic Patterns: Self-editing memory, chain-of-thought reasoning, task orchestration
• Multi-agent systems
• Model Context Protocol (MCP)