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Beyond Chatbots—The Rise of the AI Agent

Event artwork for Beyond Chatbots—The Rise of the AI Agent

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About this event

What to expect

The landscape of artificial intelligence is shifting from passive chatbots to autonomous agents that can reason, plan, and act—and this comprehensive session will equip you with everything you need to understand and leverage this transformation. Hosted by The Austin Forum on Technology & Society and led by executive director Jay Boisseau alongside expert panelists, this in-person event explores how AI agents are evolving from digital assistants into digital colleagues capable of driving unprecedented productivity gains across business, research, and innovation.

What You'll Learn

This deep-dive presentation examines the fundamental architecture and practical applications of agentic AI systems:

The Anatomy of an Agent: Understand the core differences between standard LLMs and AI agents. The session breaks down the "Agentic Workflow"—how these systems perceive goals, decompose them into executable tasks, and use iterative reasoning to complete complex objectives without constant human prompting.

Autonomy & Productivity: Discover how agentic frameworks enable "autonomous loops" that operate 24/7, enabling continuous research, automated coding, and complex project management that scales far beyond human capacity.

The Tooling Landscape: Get a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art agentic platforms. The presentation covers tools like Claude Cowork, which integrates seamlessly into professional environments, and OpenClaw, the open-source initiative pushing the boundaries of agentic control and automation.

Getting Started: Receive practical, actionable advice for individuals and organizations ready to move beyond simple prompting. Learn how to identify "agent-ready" tasks within your workflow and explore the best frameworks for deployment.

The Future Horizon: Examine the evolving landscape of AI agents and what a world of "agent-to-agent" communication might look like, including implications for the global economy and workplace transformation.

Who Should Attend

This event is designed for anyone interested in understanding and implementing agentic AI—from developers and business leaders to researchers and curious technologists. The accessible format ensures that attendees at all levels can grasp how to configure agents and develop their own systems to dramatically enhance productivity and impact.

Event Format

The evening begins with networking and refreshments from 5:15-6:15 PM, followe

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