TECH 40 — Agentic AI in Action: From Concepts to Real-World Impact
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Nithya Natesan
Date(s): Jan 13—Feb 10
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Tuesdays
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $355
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Unit(s): 0
Enrollment Limit: 101
Status: Closed
Quarter: Winter
Day: Tuesdays
Duration: 5 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 13—Feb 10
Unit(s): 0
Tuition: $355
Refund Deadline: Jan 15
Instructor(s): Nithya Natesan
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 101
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Closed
AI agents—autonomous systems capable of perceiving, reasoning, and acting—are transforming industries by automating complex research, optimizing workflows, and enhancing customer engagement. This course is designed for both business and technical professionals seeking to understand and apply agentic AI in practical, high-impact ways.
We will explore core concepts such as tool calling, API integration, and multiagent orchestration alongside critical topics in reliability, governance, and ethics. Business participants will learn to evaluate strategic use cases, design agent workflows, and assess organizational readiness. Technical participants will engage in guided, hands-on, no-code sessions for designing and testing agentic applications. Along the way, both groups will have opportunities to share perspectives and learn from one another. Through case studies, live demos, and immersive exercises, you will gain the insight and the skills to assess, design, and deploy AI agents that elevate productivity, enhance decision-making, and unlock new capabilities.
We will explore core concepts such as tool calling, API integration, and multiagent orchestration alongside critical topics in reliability, governance, and ethics. Business participants will learn to evaluate strategic use cases, design agent workflows, and assess organizational readiness. Technical participants will engage in guided, hands-on, no-code sessions for designing and testing agentic applications. Along the way, both groups will have opportunities to share perspectives and learn from one another. Through case studies, live demos, and immersive exercises, you will gain the insight and the skills to assess, design, and deploy AI agents that elevate productivity, enhance decision-making, and unlock new capabilities.
This course is designed for professionals from all backgrounds; no coding experience is required. This course relies on the use of an external, third-party tool that is not managed or supported by Stanford. Students must purchase their own tool subscriptions and can expect to spend $25-$100 per month. Please see the course syllabus for more details.
NITHYA NATESAN
Group Product Manager, Google
Nithya Natesan is a group product manager at Google, leading GenAI platforms, apps, and agents. With over 16 years of product leadership across Google and NVIDIA, she has launched and scaled AI/ML products that power everything from cutting-edge research to enterprise-scale solutions. She has been at the forefront of multiple AI waves—from deep learning platforms to generative AI and now agents. She brings a practitioner’s perspective on building products that drive real-world impact at scale. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.