In our recent hackathon, AF employees drove innovation with OutSystems AI Agent Builder, transforming software development with the power of AI.
Introduction
The technology landscape continually shifts, and AI is at the forefront of this transformation. With the advancement of AI Agents, it was only a matter of time before they became a normal yet critical piece of functionality in the software we use. This reshapes how software functions, influencing not only the user experience but also the fundamentals of software design and development.
Impact on Software Usage and Design
Integrating AI Agents into software development is not just a trend; it's a transformation that will redefine how we interact with technology. This shift means that software designers and developers must rethink the user experience. For example, how often will people rely on filtering a data table when they can just ask, "What should I work on today?" or "Show me my open tickets from yesterday afternoon."
OutSystems AI Agent Builder: A Catalyst for Innovation
Recognizing this shift in the software experience, OutSystems recently released its AI Agent Builder, enabling rapid and secure integration of generative AI into OutSystems applications. AI has been embedded in OutSystems development for years, making this a logical next step.
At Accelerated Focus, we are always at the forefront of technology and its impact on improving our customers' experiences. What better way to familiarize ourselves with the new OutSystems AI Agent Builder than a good old-fashioned hackathon?
OutSystems AI Agent Builder Hackathon
The hackathon aimed to teach participants how to use the AI Agent Builder to drive business value, enhance user experiences, and innovate by integrating OutSystems and Microsoft technologies. In today's dynamic business environment, innovation is essential. We believe in embracing the future of software development but integrating these technologies to improve our customers' experiences and shape our organization's future.
Use Case
We have a customer in the Marine Shipping industry, where freight traders receive blocks of text from different applications, such as email, text, and WhatsApp. Freight traders are very busy, and rather than manually parsing the data, our goal was to leverage AI to parse the data and create records in a database.
The Rules
Duration: Two Days
Participation: Individuals only, including juniors to senior OutSystems Developers
Project Requirements:
OutSystems ODC + AI Agent Builder
Must include an integration between OutSystems and Microsoft
Be creative, but follow the set use case
The Results
Our hackathon wasn't just an event; armed with OutSystems AI Agent Builder and a real-world problem from the Marine Shipping industry, our team members were thrilled to harness AI and their own creativity to address complex challenges.
Participant Engagement and Learnings
The enthusiasm was infectious as this exercise was not only a deep dive into cutting-edge technology but also a chance to solve meaningful business problems creatively. The interaction with AI, particularly through the Azure AI Model and OutSystems, provided a practical, hands-on learning experience beyond theoretical knowledge.
Technical Insights and Challenges
Deploying the Azure AI Model was impressively swift, showcasing OutSystems' ability to simplify the integration of complex technologies. Yet, the real learning came from programming the AI Model—navigating through various instructional strategies that Azure and AWS offer proved to be a fruitful challenge. The AI Agent Builder facilitated seamless connections to diverse data sources, enhancing our understanding of effective AI applications.
Looking Ahead
Applying these innovations to our service delivery is part of our continuous learning flywheel and will begin to enhance our customer interactions. As early adopters of this integrated technology, we are not just keeping pace with industry trends—we are setting them.
This hackathon has laid a foundation for future exploration and application of AI in enterprise settings. The synergy of OutSystems, AI Agent Builder, and Azure proves that any application being built today, regardless of complexity, should consider this robust combination.
Participants discovered that while the tools were the same, their approaches were uniquely tailored. This diversity in problem-solving underscored a vital lesson: the landscape of AI offers boundless opportunities to innovate and improve.
Coming soon, we'll be sharing a firsthand account of this journey from one of the hackathon participants.
Interested in your own AI Agent Hackathon??
If you are an OutSystems customer intrigued by the potential of the AI Agent Builder in your own OutSystems projects, contact me. We have the playbook, and we had a lot of fun.
My DMs are open. ;)
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