Ready to bring your .NET skills into the world of AI and large language models (LLMs)? This workshop is designed to get you from “What's a token?” to confidently building AI-powered applications using .NET. We'll break down the essentials of LLMs, work through hands-on examples, and show you exactly how to use AI features directly from your .NET apps.

You'll get a practical, real-world introduction to everything from foundational AI concepts to advanced topics like embeddings, chat completions, agentic workflows, RAG (retrieval augmented generation), and the Model Context Protocol (MCP). We'll explain the core concepts as well as explain why they matter and where they fit into modern AI-powered app development.

Whether you've never written a line of AI code or you're curious how LLMs can turbo-charge your existing projects, this workshop is your fast track. You'll walk away knowing how to build, integrate, and scale AI features - all from the comfort of your favorite platform - C#.

Topics:

AI Basics: Core concepts, how today's models work, and what every .NET developer should know.
LLMs in Action: What are large language models, and how can you actually use them in your apps?
Embeddings and Semantic Search: Go beyond keywords - how to turn text into vectors and unlock smarter search and matching.
Chat Completions and Conversations: Implementing real-time AI chat, from prompts to streaming multi-turn conversations.
Building AI Agents: From simple automations to more advanced agentic workflows, including decision-making and task orchestration.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP): A practical intro to structured messaging, chaining models, and building robust multi-step AI systems.
Tooling and Integration: Plugging AI into your .NET stack using Microsoft.Extensions.AI and Semantic Kernel..
Testing and Evaluating AI Features: Making sure your AI features work reliably.
Best Practices and Patterns: Keeping your apps scalable, maintainable, and secure as you add more AI features.

Who should attend?
This workshop is designed for any .NET developer - junior to architect - who wants to harness the power of LLMs and AI inside the .NET ecosystem. Bring your curiosity (and a laptop), and leave ready to build AI-powered applications in .NET!

There aren't many other speakers/developers as qualified as I am to teach on this subject as I write real world AI systems in .NET. Just sayin' ;)