AI Agent Accelerator at the EPIC Exchange

FAQs

• What is the AI Agent Accelerator?

  The AI Agent Accelerator is an eight-week, hands-on AI training programme in Christchurch for professionals who want to learn how to build and manage custom AI agents.

  Across eight 90-minute workshops, you will learn how to identify suitable workflows, give AI agents the right context and instructions, connect tools and systems, automate tasks, and evaluate whether your agent is performing reliably.

  The goal is to leave with practical experience building an AI agent that can perform useful business work.

• Do I need coding experience to build an AI agent?

  No. The programme is designed for non-technical professionals, and no previous coding experience is required. (Although, technically-proficient AI agent builders will also find a lot of value in the foundational concepts taught in these workshops.)

  You will learn how modern AI tools allow you to describe what you want in natural language, configure agent behaviour, and build useful automations without becoming a software developer.

  One workshop also introduces vibe coding, where AI helps you create and modify software through conversation rather than traditional programming.

• Who is this AI agent workshop for?

  The AI Agent Accelerator is designed for:

  • Business owners and directors looking for practical AI automation opportunities

  • Project managers and business analysts mapping workflows and processes

  • Operations professionals looking to reduce repetitive manual work

  • Team leaders who want to delegate more effectively to AI

  • Consultants and knowledge workers interested in custom AI agents

  • Non-technical professionals who want hands-on AI training

  If you already use tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Copilot and want to move beyond basic prompting, this programme is a natural next step.

• What exactly is an AI agent?

  An AI agent is an AI system that can work towards a goal, make decisions, use tools, and complete multiple steps rather than simply responding to a single prompt.

  For example, instead of asking AI to draft one email, an agent could review incoming information, decide what action is required, prepare a response, update another system, and ask for human approval when necessary.

  During the programme, you will learn how to decide which business tasks are appropriate for this kind of AI automation.

• What kinds of tasks can AI agents automate?

  AI agents can be useful for repetitive or structured knowledge-work workflows such as:

  • Researching and summarising new information on a schedule

  • Processing large volumes documents and data

  • Drafting or sending communications for customer or internal use

  • Monitoring information and preparing reports

  • Coordinating tasks across different software platforms

  • Managing knowledgebases

  • Triggering repeatable business workflows

  • Supporting administrative and operational processes

  A major part of the programme is learning which tasks should be automated, which should remain human, and where human review should sit in the workflow.

• Will I actually build an AI agent during the programme?

  Yes. This is a practical programme rather than a lecture series.

  You will progressively apply what you learn to a real agent or workflow, adding context, instructions, tools, automation, and evaluation as your capability develops.

  The intention is that you finish the eight weeks with something you have actually built, tested, and improved.

• How is this different from a ChatGPT or prompting course?

  Prompting is one part of working with AI agents, but agent management requires a broader set of skills.

  The AI Agent Accelerator covers the complete workflow:

  scoping the task → providing context → configuring the agent → connecting tools → automating workflows → writing system instructions → monitoring performance → evaluating results

  This makes the programme particularly useful for people who already understand the basics of generative AI and are ready to start applying AI to real business processes.

• Is this suitable for businesses wanting to automate workflows with AI?

  Yes. The programme has been designed around practical AI workflow automation for business.

  You will learn how to identify high-value automation opportunities, define success criteria, establish boundaries, and evaluate whether an AI agent is delivering enough value to justify further deployment.

  The emphasis is on useful business outcomes rather than experimenting with technology for its own sake.

• Where is the AI Agent Accelerator held?

  The programme is held in person in Christchurch, New Zealand, at:

  EPIC Innovation
  100 Manchester Street
  Christchurch

  Sessions take place in the EPIC Exchange.

• When are the workshops?

  The workshops run on eight consecutive Thursdays across October and November:

  1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 October, and 5, 12, and 19 November

  Each session runs from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM.

• How much does the programme cost?

  The full eight-week AI Agent Accelerator costs:

  $350 NZD + GST

  This includes eight live 90-minute workshops, practical exercises, live building time, and opportunities to ask questions as you develop your agent.

• Do I need to attend every session?

  Because each workshop builds on the skills developed in previous sessions, attending the full series will give you the strongest result.

  The programme progresses from context engineering and agent management through to workflow automation, system prompts, and performance evaluation, so consistent participation will make it much easier to develop a useful agent during the workshops.

• What should I bring?

  Bring a laptop and access to the AI tools you normally use.

  You should also arrive with a few repetitive tasks or workflows from your work that you would like to explore automating. These will give you useful material to work with throughout the programme.

• What will I be able to do by the end of the AI Agent Accelerator?

  By the end of the programme, you should be able to:

  • Identify business tasks suitable for AI agents

  • Scope an AI agent project and define success criteria

  • Give an agent useful context, memory, and instructions

  • Build simple AI-powered applications without traditional coding

  • Connect AI tools into automated workflows

  • Write stronger system prompts

  • Manage and improve an AI agent over time

  • Test and evaluate agent performance

  • Decide when an agent should act autonomously and when a human should intervene

  Most importantly, you will have practical experience delegating work to AI rather than simply chatting with it.