New Course: Understanding Semantic Kernel

Note: This post covers Semantic Kernel, which I’ve since moved on from. My new work is built on Microsoft Agent Framework. If you’re starting fresh, I’d recommend the Microsoft Agent Framework: The Complete Series instead, or see the section What Does It Mean For Your Current Semantic Kernel project in this blog.

For the last few weeks, I have been shipping blogs, code, and videos as part of a FREE and self-published course called Understanding Semantic Kernel.

The course is spread over 7 parts.

I am pleased to announce that it’s now complete.

It covers the fundamentals of the open-source SDK from Microsoft.

In this course, you will learn how to use key components that form the SDK and how to create an agentic AI solution that can be embedded within an ASP.NET Core web application.

By the end of the course, you will understand:

• what Semantic Kernel can do
• how to create integrations with popular LLMs such as GPT-4
• how to integrate the OpenAI Completions endpoint.
• how to augment existing software application with new AI capabilities

The course is delivered using detailed blogs, code, and video content to aid your learning of this up-and-coming technology.

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Deep Dive Written Content and Code

The course consists of the following parts:

• (Part 0) First Look, Integrating Semantic Kernel with Open AI – An introduction to Semantic Kernel, who is it for, why use it, key components and creating a simple agent.

• (Part 1) Working with Inline Prompt Functions – Learn about leveraging prompt functions to ensure predictability, refine LLM prompt output, few shot prompting, and handling unexpected output

• (Part 2) Working File System Prompt Functions – See how prompt definitions can be loaded from the file-system and used within Semantic Kernel. You will also learn why you might want to do this.

• (Part 3) Native Functions and Plugins – Learn how to implement a Native Function using Semantic Kernel.  You will also learn about the concept of plugins, the architecture of a plugin, prompts, and native functions, how to organise plugins and native functions within your solution

• (Part 4) Function Calling and Planners – Learn about Function Calling and Planners.  Specifically, the following is covered: What is Function Calling, How Does Function Calling Work, What is a Planner, How Planners Use Function Calling.

• (Part 5) Using Logging to Examine Planners and Support Debugging – See how to add logging to a Semantic Kernel and OpenAI integration. We also see what logging verbosity is available, examples of logging outputs, the planner component of Semantic Kernel in action

• (Part 6) Creating a Custom Webchat Agent Using Open AI GPT-4, and ASP.NET
  Learn how to integrate an agent built using Semantic Kernel and Open AI with an ASP.NET Core web application.  Chat history and state management is handled by the agent.

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Video Content

60 minutes of video content is also available. These accompany each blog and can be found on my YouTube playlist here.

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I created this as a way to condense my knowledge of Semantic Kernel.  Use this course to fast track your understanding of this new open-source SDK from Microsoft.

Any feedback is welcome.

You can schedule a call using my Calendly link to discuss consulting and development services.