AI Orchestration with Semantic Kernel: Building Custom Plugins

How do you bridge the gap between powerful artificial intelligence and your daily business workflows? Semantic Kernel provides the lightweight, open-source orchestration framework needed to connect large language models to existing software systems, turning raw AI capabilities into practical business tools. This text-based course guides you from the fundamental concepts of AI orchestration to designing your first functional plugins. You will learn how to structure prompts, manage memory, and link external data sources to build intelligent, automated workflows that solve real-world problems. What you'll learn: - Understand the core architecture of Semantic Kernel and how it orchestrates AI tasks - Design custom native and semantic plugins to extend the capabilities of large language models - Configure memory, connectors, and planners to automate complex decision-making processes - Apply prompt engineering best practices directly within your orchestration code - Explore retrieval-augmented generation concepts to connect AI to your business data - Build structured chains of actions to execute multi-step workflows automatically You will begin by learning the essential terminology and foundational definitions of AI orchestration before moving on to practical step-by-step written exercises. The material progresses logically from basic prompt integration to complex multi-step planners. This course is designed for business analysts, product managers, and aspiring developers who want to understand how AI integration works without needing a deep background in machine learning. No prior experience with Semantic Kernel is required. Start reading today to unlock the potential of AI orchestration for your business applications.