This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance IT support processes. The goal is to understand how AI can automate workflows, improve support efficiency, and reduce workload for IT personnel. The workshop is structured into two parts: Learning Day, where participants gain foundational knowledge and experiment with AI tools, and Hacking Day, where they apply their learnings to build their own AI-powered application.
Welcome Coffee at InnoHub@Microsoft Zürich
Introduction & Objectives
- Overview of the workshop: How can AI support IT teams?
- Explanation of the day’s structure and goals.
How AI Can Improve IT Support
- Fundamentals of AI & automation: What can AI do? What are its limitations?
- Overview of Azure AI Services: What tools does Microsoft offer for AI-driven IT support?
- Real-world use cases: How do other companies utilize AI in their helpdesk processes?
- Discussion: Where can AI assist in IT support, and what are the biggest challenges in current ticketing processes?
Understanding AI-Powered Assistants
- Live demo: An intelligent chatbot for IT support – how it answers questions and resolves issues.
- How knowledge base search works in AI-powered assistants.
- Automating information retrieval with AI.
- Group activity: Defining key functionalities needed for an IT support assistant.
Lunch Break
Hands-on: Getting Started with AI
- Challenge 0: Setting up a project in VS Code
- Challenge 1: Configuring Azure AI Studio
- Challenge 2: Connecting AI with documents – training AI to read and understand existing IT knowledge bases
- Challenge 3: Deploying a basic AI-powered IT assistant
Wrap-up & Hacking Day Preparation
- Key takeaways from the Learning Day.
- Open discussion and Q&A.
- Setting the stage for the Hacking Day.
Kick-off & Hackathon Goals
- Overview of the day’s challenge: Use the knowledge from Learning Day to create your own AI-powered IT support assistant.
- Team formation (if working in groups).
Building & Prototyping
- Enhancing the AI assistant with additional features.
- Training and fine-tuning AI models based on IT support needs.
- Implementing integrations with existing IT tools (ticketing systems, documentation databases).
Lunch Break
Testing & Refining Your Solution
- Debugging and optimizing the assistant’s performance.
- User testing: Ensuring the AI assistant responds accurately and efficiently.
- Finalizing the prototype for presentations.
Final Presentations & Awards
- Each team presents their AI-powered IT support assistant.
- Discussion on key takeaways, challenges, and future improvements.
- Wrap-up and next steps.
- Understanding AI in IT Support: Learn the capabilities and limitations of AI for IT support automation.
- Hands-on Experience with Azure AI Services: Explore Microsoft’s AI tools and their applications.
- Building AI-powered Solutions: Develop and deploy an AI-powered IT assistant.
- Hacking & Innovation: Apply knowledge in a creative way to build practical AI-driven applications.
This workshop is a mix of theory, practical exercises, and hands-on hacking to provide a comprehensive understanding of AI in IT support.