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Introduction to IBM Bob Workshops

Accelerate Your Work with Agentic AI

Welcome to the IBM Bob Workshop series! These hands-on workshops demonstrate how IBM Bob, an agentic AI assistant, can transform your work through practical exercises. Whether you're a student exploring AI for the first time or an IBM professional looking to accelerate your development workflow, we have a workshop designed for you.

What is Bob?

Bob is an agentic AI assistant that goes beyond traditional chatbots. While regular AI assistants answer questions and provide information, Bob can:

  • Take autonomous actions to complete tasks
  • Create and modify files independently
  • Break down complex problems into executable steps
  • Use tools to read, write, and analyze code
  • Iterate and refine based on results and feedback

Workshop Tracks

Choose the workshop that best fits your experience level and goals:

🎓 Middle School Workshop (45 minutes)

Fun with AI: Create Cool Stuff with Bob!

Perfect for students in grades 6-8 who want to see AI in action. Work in teams to create games, websites, and interactive projects using creative prompts. No coding experience needed!

Start Middle School Workshop →

🚀 High School Workshop (90 minutes)

Introduction to Agentic AI with IBM Bob

Designed for high school students interested in technology and AI. Learn how AI agents work, create interactive projects, and explore real-world applications of agentic AI.

Start High School Workshop →

💼 IBM Employee Workshop (60 minutes)

Accelerate Your Work with Agentic AI

For IBM developers, architects, consultants, and technical leaders. Experience Bob through guided demonstrations, then explore Bob's capabilities with your own work challenges in a personalized hands-on session.

Start IBM Employee Workshop →

About These Workshops

Each workshop is designed to be:

  • Hands-on: Learn by doing with practical exercises
  • Interactive: Work with Bob to create real projects
  • Engaging: See immediate results from your prompts
  • Educational: Understand how agentic AI works and its applications

Agenda
Lab 0: Pre-work Setup and prerequisites for the workshops
Lab 1: Middle School Workshop Team-based demonstration format (45 minutes)
Lab 2: High School Workshop Hands-on introduction to agentic AI (90 minutes)
Lab 2 EDT: High School Workshop (EDT Edition) Design thinking to AI implementation (90 minutes)
Lab 3: IBM Employee Workshop Professional development acceleration (75 minutes)

What You'll Learn

Core Concepts

  • Understanding agentic AI vs. traditional chatbots
  • How AI agents use tools to accomplish tasks
  • Writing effective prompts for AI assistants
  • Iterating and refining AI-generated outputs

Practical Skills

  • Creating interactive web applications
  • Analyzing and improving existing code
  • Generating documentation and reports
  • Automating repetitive tasks
  • Working collaboratively with AI

Real-World Applications

  • Rapid prototyping and development
  • Code review and quality assessment
  • Technical documentation generation
  • Test automation and data generation
  • DevOps and deployment automation

Compatibility

These workshops have been tested with:

  • IBM Bob: Latest version with VS Code extension
  • Operating Systems: macOS, Windows 11, Linux
  • Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge (for viewing created projects)

Technology Used

  • IBM Bob: Agentic AI assistant with autonomous tool usage
  • Web Technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (created by Bob)
  • Node.js: For API and backend examples (IBM workshop)

Prerequisites

All Workshops

  • Computer with internet connection
  • Web browser for viewing created projects
  • Curiosity and willingness to experiment!

Middle School Workshop

  • No technical prerequisites
  • Instructor will operate Bob
  • Students work in teams to create prompts

High School Workshop

  • Basic computer literacy
  • Access to Bob (provided by instructor)
  • Laptop for hands-on exercises

IBM Employee Workshop

  • Bob access configured in VS Code
  • Basic familiarity with software development
  • Laptop with development environment

Getting Started

  1. Choose your workshop based on your experience level
  2. Complete the pre-work to ensure you're ready
  3. Bring your creativity and questions
  4. Have fun exploring what's possible with agentic AI!

Credits

  • Bob
  • James Busche: IBM Research
  • Yi-Hong Wang: IBM Research
  • Ted Chang: IBM Research
  • Nhan Hoang: IBM Research

Ready to experience the future of AI-assisted work? Choose your workshop above and let's get started! 🚀