SESSION 1
Models, Tools & Agent Harnesses
Full session · 2:02:32
NYU CDS · FALL 2026
Agentic AI Workshop
Build an agent you can explain.
Watch an agent choose a tool and see what runs it. Then build one around a problem you care about!
October 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2026Thursdays, 5:30–7:00 PM ETCDS 7th Floor Open Space
Watch the recordings Registration has closed.
Looking for last year’s workshop? Explore 2025In person at NYU CDSSlides, live demos & discussionOpenRouter inference provided
THE COURSE
Build your own agent over four Thursdays.
From the first tool call to a project you can share. Sessions 1–3 are required. Demo Day is highly encouraged, even if you don’t present.
- THURSDAY
SESSION 1 Required
Agents and harnesses
What an agent is, when to use one, and the machinery that runs its tools, context, and decisions.
5:30–7 PM ET - THURSDAY
SESSION 2 Required
Agents beyond chat
Give an agent an interactive surface. Explore generated interfaces, typed decisions, and experiments with feedback.
5:30–7 PM ET - THURSDAY
SESSION 3 Required
Multi-agent systems
Decide when to divide work, what each agent needs to know, and how to coordinate handoffs and review.
5:30–7 PM ET - THURSDAY
SESSION 4 Highly encouraged
Demo Day
Show what you built. Discuss your project with classmates and industry guests, and learn from their questions.
5:30–7 PM ET
HOW WE LEARN
Follow the agent’s decisions in class.
Keep your laptop closed and ask questions as we predict what happens next. Build your own between sessions.
Slides and starter code support your project. You’ll be encouraged to share your agent through the class app store.
IN THE ROOM
60 minutes of material + 30 minutes of Q&A
Technical storytelling through slides, live demonstrations, and conversation.
BETWEEN SESSIONS
About 1–2 hours of development each week
Start with a research question, a recurring task, or a personal workflow. Make a small version that works, then develop it each week.
SUPPORT
Friday office hours
Bring a broken tool call, a confusing code path, or an idea that feels too big. We’ll help you find the next step. Joining details will be shared with registered students.
YOUR BUILDING MATERIALS
Starter materials for your own project.
Session 1 and 2 slides and starter code are available in the public course repository. Each session’s materials will be released the day before class.
02
Session 1: Agents and harnesses
Download the slides and explore the starter code for your own agent.
03
Session 2: Agents beyond chat
Explore the slides and demo app, then build an interactive agent.
04
Build and publish your agent
Follow the setup, ZIP upload, peer feedback, and course-credit instructions.
05
Class app store
Publish your project and explore what others in the workshop build.
(For registered students only)
RECORDED IN CLASS
Session recordings
Watch the full session or find a topic in the chapter list.
SESSION 2
Beyond Chat, MCP Apps & Decision APIs
Full session · 1:30:03
OCTOBER29DEMO DAY
SHOW WHAT YOU BUILT
Meet other builders through your project.
Share your work with classmates and industry professionals from OpenRouter, Amazon, Google, and startups.
Judges will select students whose demos they like for coffee chats. Come to show your project, give feedback, or see what everyone made.
FROM THE 2025 CLASS
Get a feel for the room.
Last year, we built a personalized newspaper with MCP. These highlights offer a look at the examples, questions, and discussions.
YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Meet your instructors.
Adi Singhal
Applied Scientist at Amazon, former AWS Bedrock engineer, Ambassador at the Agentic AI Foundation (AAIF) and Instructor at NYU. At NYU, he studied psychology and data science, conducted research with faculty, and founded and led the Data Science Club to 1k members.
Connect on LinkedIn
Luca Chang
Works in the AWS Agentic AI organization and is an MCP specification maintainer and SDK contributor. Expert in building production-ready agentic systems.
Connect on LinkedInBefore you join
Who is the workshop for?
Members of the CDS community, including students and alumni. Undergraduates should have completed DS-UA 112. Attend the first three sessions and plan for weekly project work.
Where do we meet?
CDS 7th Floor Open Space, 60 5th Ave, between 12th and 13th Streets, New York City. Thursdays, 5:30–7:00 PM ET.
The workshop is in person. Contact the organizer about individual attendance questions.
What will I need?
Time to build between sessions and curiosity in the room. Find slides and starter code in the public course repository. Registered students will receive inference access through OpenRouter.
Is registration still open?
Registration has closed. You can view the original registration form for reference. The form requires Google sign-in.
Contact the workshop organizer about form access, attendance, or other questions.
FROM THE WORKSHOP FORMS
Who signed up?
Fictional voices based on replies as of October 6, 2026. Approximate counts overlap.
≈65GreenFinding an idea
I'm still choosing my idea. I'm excited to discover what an agent could do and get inspiration from other people's projects. I worry about picking something so broad that I never finish it. Help me find one small problem I care enough about to keep exploring.
≈35PurpleCareer momentum
I know I want a useful project for a career conversation, though the topic is still open. I'm excited to build something worth showing and meet people who can give me feedback. I worry about ending up with a generic demo while interviews, classes and the presentation compete for my time.
≈35OrangeEveryday problems
I have an everyday annoyance in mind, like choosing a café, planning a day or keeping records up to date. I'm excited to make something I would use myself. I worry about wrong details and an idea that grows into an assistant for everything. One task made easier would be a good start.
≈35YellowWorkflows that last
I have a work process or a project already in motion. I'm excited to finish a useful part that saves repeated effort. I worry about missing information, hidden mistakes and who approves the next action. Help me make a small promise I can keep when another person starts relying on the result.
≈30PinkResearch questions
I have a field or a research question in mind, but the experiment may still be open. I'm excited to explore simulations or connect evidence across a collection of material. I worry that a convincing story could outrun the evidence. I want a result I can inspect and a clearer question to pursue.
≈25BlueCare and access
I know whom I want to help: someone waiting for care, learning support or a service they struggle to access. My idea might still be a large ambition. I'm excited by the possibility of making help easier to get. I worry about privacy, unfairness and mistakes, so people need a way to question the result.
NYU CDS · AGENTIC AI WORKSHOP 2026
Bring your curiosity and build an agent of your own.
Registration has closed.