AI Agents for Business: Automating Workflows

Presenter: Caelan Huntress, AI Coaching Academy.

This half-day session is designed for professionals who have already explored Generative AI, and are ready to move beyond one-off prompting into agentic AI. Participants will learn how AI agents work, why context matters more than clever prompts, and how to design practical workflows that help AI tools act more reliably on real business tasks. This session shows how to treat AI less like a chatbot and more like a digital teammate. Attendees will explore how to frame the right informational environment around an AI system, define useful boundaries, and apply human judgment where it matters most.

This is a practical, hands-on workshop for business owners, communicators, marketers, and professionals who want to understand where AI agents can create real value at work. We will explore the stages of an automation, and how to apply agentic AI safely, strategically, and effectively.

Learning Outcomes

• how AI agents use tools in a loop to move from a goal to an outcome
• the difference between prompt engineering and context engineering
• how AI is evolving from chat-based assistants into agentic systems
• how immediate and persistent memory affect the performance of an AI agent
• where automation creates value, and where human leadership and judgment still matter most
• practical ways to identify repetitive work that can be supported by agentic workflows

Learn how to;

• identify business processes that are good candidates for AI agents
• design clearer, more reliable AI-supported workflows for communication, research, administration, and operations
• reduce repetitive busywork and spend more time on creative, strategic, and relationship-based work
• brief AI tools with better context, constraints, goals, and reference material
• avoid common mistakes like overloading context, poor scoping, and over-automation
• make better decisions about how to introduce AI responsibly into their team or organisation

Bio - Caelan Huntress, AI Coaching Academy

My AI training sessions are fast-paced and hands-on—packed with prompts, games, and experiments that leave participants feeling empowered, confident, and prepared.

I'm an American / New Zealand dual citizen, and I am based in Christchurch, where I lead the Christchurch Artificial Intelligence Meetup Group. I also lead the Upskill Workstream for the AEC Working Group in the AI Forum NZ.

Cost Support

This training is registered with the Regional Business Partnership Network (RBPN) and participants may therefore qualify for support for this programme.
For more information, please contact Sandra Crone sandra.crone@neslontasman.nz prior to Tuesday 30 June.

Eligibility criteria:

To attend/be eligible for co-funding the customer must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Has less than 50 full time employees
• Have an NZBN
• Must be the business owner or person in a key management role, i.e senior managers, in the business.
• Must register on the RBP Platform and have a discovery meeting with the region’s Growth Advisor

 

Standard cancellation policy applies to paid events/workshops/courses (unless otherwise stated on event listing). Cancellations must be received 7 working days prior to the event. Cancellations after this time and ‘no shows’ on the day will be charged the full invoice amount. Substitutions are permitted if you can no longer attend.