Micheal Lanham – författare

Create LLM-powered autonomous agents and intelligent assistants that can adapt to your specific business and personal needs.Each job you take on or decision you make requires some of your precious time. AI Agents in Action teaches you to develop and deliver LLM-based assistants and agents that can independently process information, make decisions, and learn from interactions. These powerful autonomous AI agents and interactive assistants handle routine tasks behind the scenes so you can focus on other things.In AI Agents in Action, author Micheal Lanham combines cutting-edge academic research with practical experience to help you:

Understand AI agent behavior patterns Design and deploy intelligent agents Use the OpenAI Assistants API and other tools Manage knowledge and memory Build in feedback loops so agents learn from their actions Design collaborative multi-agent systems Create agents with speech and vision features

From script-free customer service chatbots to fully independent agents operating out of sight, AI-powered assistants are a groundbreaking advance in machine intelligence. In AI Agents in Action you'll learn a reliable, tested framework for developing working agents for a variety of practical business and personal tasks.

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought us to the precipice of a new age where we struggle to understand what is real, from advanced CGI in movies to even faking the news. AI that was developed to understand our reality is now being used to create its own reality. In this book we look at the many AI techniques capable of generating new realities. We start with the basics of deep learning. Then we move on to autoencoders and generative adversarial networks (GANs). We explore variations of GAN to generate content. The book ends with an in-depth look at the most popular generator projects.By the end of this book you will understand the AI techniques used to generate different forms of content. You will be able to use these techniques for your own amusement or professional career to both impress and educate others around you and give you the ability to transform your own reality into something new.What You Will LearnKnow the fundamentals of content generation from autoencoders to generative adversarial networks (GANs)Explore variations of GANUnderstand the basics of other forms of content generationUse advanced projects such as Faceswap, deepfakes, DeOldify, and StyleGAN2Who This Book Is ForMachine learning developers and AI enthusiasts who want to understand AI content generation techniques

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought us to the precipice of a new age where we struggle to understand what is real, from advanced CGI in movies to even faking the news. AI that was developed to understand our reality is now being used to create its own reality. In this book we look at the many AI techniques capable of generating new realities. We start with the basics of deep learning. Then we move on to autoencoders and generative adversarial networks (GANs). We explore variations of GAN to generate content. The book ends with an in-depth look at the most popular generator projects.By the end of this book you will understand the AI techniques used to generate different forms of content. You will be able to use these techniques for your own amusement or professional career to both impress and educate others around you and give you the ability to transform your own reality into something new.What You Will LearnKnow the fundamentals of content generation from autoencoders to generative adversarial networks (GANs)Explore variations of GANUnderstand the basics of other forms of content generationUse advanced projects such as Faceswap, deepfakes, DeOldify, and StyleGAN2Who This Book Is ForMachine learning developers and AI enthusiasts who want to understand AI content generation techniques

Working with AI is complicated and expensive for many developers. That''s why cloud providers have stepped in to make it easier, offering free (or affordable) state-of-the-art models and training tools to get you started. With this book, you''ll learn how to use Google''s AI-powered cloud services to do everything from creating a chatbot to analyzing text, images, and video.

Author Micheal Lanham demonstrates methods for building and training models step-by-step and shows you how to expand your models to accomplish increasingly complex tasks. If you have a good grasp of math and the Python language, you''ll quickly get up to speed with Google Cloud Platform, whether you want to build an AI assistant or a simple business AI application.

Learn key concepts for data science, machine learning, and deep learningExplore tools like Video AI and AutoML TablesBuild a simple language processor using deep learning systemsPerform image recognition using CNNs, transfer learning, and GANsUse Google''s Dialogflow to create chatbots and conversational AIAnalyze video with automatic video indexing, face detection, and TensorFlow HubBuild a complete working AI agent application

Working with AI is complicated and expensive for many developers. That''s why cloud providers have stepped in to make it easier, offering free (or affordable) state-of-the-art models and training tools to get you started. With this book, you''ll learn how to use Google''s AI-powered cloud services to do everything from creating a chatbot to analyzing text, images, and video.

Author Micheal Lanham demonstrates methods for building and training models step-by-step and shows you how to expand your models to accomplish increasingly complex tasks. If you have a good grasp of math and the Python language, you''ll quickly get up to speed with Google Cloud Platform, whether you want to build an AI assistant or a simple business AI application.

Learn key concepts for data science, machine learning, and deep learningExplore tools like Video AI and AutoML TablesBuild a simple language processor using deep learning systemsPerform image recognition using CNNs, transfer learning, and GANsUse Google''s Dialogflow to create chatbots and conversational AIAnalyze video with automatic video indexing, face detection, and TensorFlow HubBuild a complete working AI agent application

Working with AI is complicated and expensive for many developers. That's why cloud providers have stepped in to make it easier, offering free (or affordable) state-of-the-art models and training tools to get you started. With this book, you'll learn how to use Google's AI-powered cloud services to do everything from creating a chatbot to analyzing text, images, and video.Author Micheal Lanham demonstrates methods for building and training models step-by-step and shows you how to expand your models to accomplish increasingly complex tasks. If you have a good grasp of math and the Python language, you'll quickly get up to speed with Google Cloud Platform, whether you want to build an AI assistant or a simple business AI application.Learn key concepts for data science, machine learning, and deep learningExplore tools like Video AI and AutoML TablesBuild a simple language processor using deep learning systemsPerform image recognition using CNNs, transfer learning, and GANsUse Google's Dialogflow to create chatbots and conversational AIAnalyze video with automatic video indexing, face detection, and TensorFlow HubBuild a complete working AI agent application

Discover one-of-a-kind AI strategies never before seen outside of academic papers! Learn how the principles of evolutionary computation overcome deep learning's common pitfalls and deliver adaptable model upgrades without constant manual adjustment. In   Evolutionary Deep Learning  you will learn how to: Solve complex design and analysis problems with evolutionary computation Tune deep learning hyperparameters with evolutionary computation (EC), genetic algorithms, and particle swarm optimization Use unsupervised learning with a deep learning autoencoder to regenerate sample data Understand the basics of reinforcement learning and the Q Learning equation Apply Q Learning to deep learning to produce deep reinforcement learning Optimize the loss function and network architecture of unsupervised autoencoders Make an evolutionary agent that can play an OpenAI Gym game Evolutionary Deep Learning  is a guide to improving your deep learning models with AutoML enhancements based on the principles of biological evolution. This exciting new approach utilizes lesser-known AI approaches to boost performance without hours of data annotation or model hyperparameter tuning. about the technology

Evolutionary deep learning merges the biology-simulating practices of evolutionary computation (EC) with the neural networks of deep learning. This unique approach can automate entire DL systems and help uncover new strategies and architectures. It gives new and aspiring AI engineers a set of optimization tools that can reliably improve output without demanding an endless churn of new data. about the reader

For data scientists who know Python.  

Discover one-of-a-kind AI strategies never before seen outside of academic papers! Learn how the principles of evolutionary computation overcome deep learning’s common pitfalls and deliver adaptable model upgrades without constant manual adjustment.In Evolutionary Deep Learning you will learn how to: Solve complex design and analysis problems with evolutionary computation Tune deep learning hyperparameters with evolutionary computation (EC), genetic algorithms, and particle swarm optimization Use unsupervised learning with a deep learning autoencoder to regenerate sample data Understand the basics of reinforcement learning and the Q-Learning equation Apply Q-Learning to deep learning to produce deep reinforcement learning Optimize the loss function and network architecture of unsupervised autoencoders Make an evolutionary agent that can play an OpenAI Gym game Evolutionary Deep Learning is a guide to improving your deep learning models with AutoML enhancements based on the principles of biological evolution. This exciting new approach utilizes lesser-known AI approaches to boost performance without hours of data annotation or model hyperparameter tuning. In this one-of-a-kind guide, you’ll discover tools for optimizing everything from data collection to your network architecture. About the technology Deep learning meets evolutionary biology in this incredible book. Explore how biology-inspired algorithms and intuitions amplify the power of neural networks to solve tricky search, optimization, and control problems. Relevant, practical, and extremely interesting examples demonstrate how ancient lessons from the natural world are shaping the cutting edge of data science. About the book Evolutionary Deep Learning introduces evolutionary computation (EC) and gives you a toolbox of techniques you can apply throughout the deep learning pipeline. Discover genetic algorithms and EC approaches to network topology, generative modeling, reinforcement learning, and more! Interactive Colab notebooks give you an opportunity to experiment as you explore. What''s inside Solve complex design and analysis problems with evolutionary computation Tune deep learning hyperparameters Apply Q-Learning to deep learning to produce deep reinforcement learning Optimize the loss function and network architecture of unsupervised autoencoders Make an evolutionary agent that can play an OpenAI Gym game About the reader For data scientists who know Python. About the author Micheal Lanham is a proven software and tech innovator with over 20 years of experience. Table of Contents PART 1 - GETTING STARTED 1 Introducing evolutionary deep learning 2 Introducing evolutionary computation 3 Introducing genetic algorithms with DEAP 4 More evolutionary computation with DEAP PART 2 - OPTIMIZING DEEP LEARNING 5 Automating hyperparameter optimization 6 Neuroevolution optimization 7 Evolutionary convolutional neural networks PART 3 - ADVANCED APPLICATIONS 8 Evolving autoencoders 9 Generative deep learning and evolution 10 NEAT: NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies 11 Evolutionary learning with NEAT 12 Evolutionary machine learning and beyond

Create LLM-powered autonomous agents and intelligent assistants tailored to your business and personal needs.From script-free customer service chatbots to fully independent agents operating seamlessly in the background, AI-powered assistants represent a breakthrough in machine intelligence. In AI Agents in Action, you''ll master a proven framework for developing practical agents that handle real-world business and personal tasks. Author Micheal Lanham combines cutting-edge academic research with hands-on experience to help you: • Understand and implement AI agent behavior patterns • Design and deploy production-ready intelligent agents • Leverage the OpenAI Assistants API and complementary tools • Implement robust knowledge management and memory systems • Create self-improving agents with feedback loops • Orchestrate collaborative multi-agent systems • Enhance agents with speech and vision capabilities You won''t find toy examples or fragile assistants that require constant supervision. AI Agents in Action teaches you to build trustworthy AI capable of handling high-stakes negotiations. You''ll master prompt engineering to create agents with distinct personas and profiles, and develop multi-agent collaborations that thrive in unpredictable environments. Beyond just learning a new technology, you''ll discover a transformative approach to problem-solving. About the technology Most production AI systems require many orchestrated interactions between the user, AI models, and a wide variety of data sources. AI agents capture and organize these interactions into autonomous components that can process information, make decisions, and learn from interactions behind the scenes. This book will show you how to create AI agents and connect them together into powerful multi-agent systems. About the book In AI Agents in Action, you’ll learn how to build production-ready assistants, multi-agent systems, and behavioral agents. You’ll master the essential parts of an agent, including retrieval-augmented knowledge and memory, while you create multi-agent applications that can use software tools, plan tasks autonomously, and learn from experience. As you explore the many interesting examples, you’ll work with state-of-the-art tools like OpenAI Assistants API, GPT Nexus, LangChain, Prompt Flow, AutoGen, and CrewAI. What''s inside • Knowledge management and memory systems • Feedback loops for continuous agent learning • Collaborative multi-agent systems • Speech and computer vision About the reader For intermediate Python programmers. About the author Micheal Lanham is a software and technology innovator with over 20 years of industry experience. He has authored books on deep learning, including Manning’s Evolutionary Deep Learning. Table of Contents 1 Introduction to agents and their world 2 Harnessing the power of large language models 3 Engaging GPT assistants 4 Exploring multi-agent systems 5 Empowering agents with actions 6 Building autonomous assistants 7 Assembling and using an agent platform 8 Understanding agent memory and knowledge 9 Mastering agent prompts with prompt flow 10 Agent reasoning and evaluation 11 Agent planning and feedback A Accessing OpenAI large language models B Python development environment

Get the eBook free when you register your print book at Manning."e;Great contents, broad coverage, fun exercises. This book has it all. Saurabh Sawant, Microsoft AI Agents in Action, Second Edition is a substantial revision and update of the first edition. It is a practical and comprehensive guide to building AI agentsnot just understanding what they are, but designing, implementing, evaluating, and deploying them. Its strength is in the way it combines conceptual clarity with working code examples, so readers build progressively rather than absorb isolated ideas. The examples form a continuous learning path, moving from a minimal agent to more capable, tool-using, multi-agent, and deployable systems. Each step adds a new skill while reinforcing what came before. The book begins by giving readers a usable mental model for agent design. Its central organizing idea is the five functional layers: persona, actions and tools, reasoning and planning, knowledge and memory, and evaluation and feedback. This framework helps readers understand where an agents behavior comes from and how to diagnose weaknesses. Rather than randomly adding prompts, tools, or memory, readers learn to ask which layer needs improvement. This is especially valuable because the model is not tied to one vendor or framework; it remains useful even as APIs and tools continue to change. From there, the book moves into the practical building blocks of agents: LLMs, prompting, typed outputs, tracing, tool use, and the OpenAI Agents SDK. Typed outputs reduce brittle text parsing. Tracing exposes what the agent is doing. Tool integration gives agents the ability to act rather than merely respond. The cumulative benefit is that readers learn to build agents that are more predictable, inspectable, and maintainable. A highlight is the treatment of Model Context Protocol. Readers liked the books USB-C analogy, because it explains MCP as a standard connector between agents and external capabilities. The book shows how MCP can flatten a mess of bespoke integrations into cleaner, swappable components, helping developers build agents that are modular instead of tangled. The book also covers multi-agent architectures, reasoning patterns, planning strategies, RAG, memory, evaluation, feedback, observability, and deployment. Each topic is tied to a practical benefit: multi-agent patterns help divide complex work; reasoning and planning help agents handle multi-step tasks; RAG and memory let agents use external and retained knowledge; evaluation and feedback help make them safer and more reliable. Physically, this is a substantial but focused book covering 392 pages across 11 chapters. Its tables and figures are a valuable part of the learning experience. While building, readers will want to return to the easy-to-use tables summarizing complex trade-offs. AI Agents in Action shows developers how to build agents they can ship, trust, and maintain. What's inside Autonomous agent design and deployment MCP-based tools, resources, prompts, memory, and server integrations Reasoning and planning patterns including ReAct, Reflexion, Tree-of- Thought, and Sequential Thinking About the reader For intermediate Python programmers. No experience with AI agents and agentic systems required. About the author Micheal Lanham is a software and technology innovator with over 20 years of industry experience. He has authored books on deep learning, including Mannings Evolutionary Deep Learning. Table of Contents 1 The rise of AI agents 2 Core components: Large language models, prompting, and agents 3 Actions with Model Context Protocol for AI agents 4 Architecting and building multi-agent systems 5 Agent reasoning and planning 6 Working with memory and knowledge RAG for agents 7 Building robust agents with evaluation and feedback 8 Deploying agents and agentic systems 9 Understanding the agentic loop 10 Exploring the cognitive agent that thinks, monitors, and adapts 11 Tips for building agentic systems A Setting up the sample code repository B Node.js setup for local MCP servers

Create your own augmented reality games from scratch with Unity 5Key FeaturesCreate your own augmented reality game from scratch and join the virtual reality gaming revolutionUse the latest Unity 5 VR SDK to create pro-level AR games like Pokémon GoInnovate and explore the latest and most promising trend of AR gaming in the mobile gaming industryBook DescriptionThe heyday of location-based augmented reality games is upon us. They have been around for a few years, but the release of Pokémon Go was a gamechanger that catalyzed the market and led to a massive surge in demand. Now is the time for novice and experienced developers alike to turn their good ideas into augmented reality (AR) mobile games and meet this demand!If you are keen to develop virtual reality games with the latest Unity 5 toolkit, then this is the book for you. The genre of location-based AR games introduces a new platform and technical challenges, but this book will help simplify those challenges and show how to maximize your game audience.This book will take you on a journey through building a location-based AR game that addresses the core technical concepts: GIS fundamentals, mobile device GPS, mapping, map textures in Unity, mobile device camera, camera textures in Unity, accessing location-based services, and other useful Unity tips. The technical material also discusses what is necessary for further development to create a multiplayer version of the game. At the end, you will be presented with troubleshooting techniques in case you get into trouble and need a little help.What you will learnBuild a location-based augmented reality game called Foodie GoAnimate a player's avatar on a mapUse the mobile device's camera as a game backgroundImplement database persistence with SQLLite4Unity3D to carry inventory items across game sessionsCreate basic UI elements for the game, inventory, menu, and settingsPerform location and content searches against the Google Places APIEnhance the game's mood by adding visual shader effectsExtend the game by adding multiplayer networking and other enhancementsWho this book is forThis book is for those who have a basic knowledge of game development techniques, but no previous knowledge of Unity is required. Some basic programming knowledge would be desirable, but the book is an introduction to the topic. The book is also suitable for experienced developers new to GIS or GPS development.

Understand the core concepts of deep learning and deep reinforcement learning by applying them to develop gamesKey FeaturesApply the power of deep learning to complex reasoning tasks by building a Game AIExploit the most recent developments in machine learning and AI for building smart gamesImplement deep learning models and neural networks with PythonBook DescriptionThe number of applications of deep learning and neural networks has multiplied in the last couple of years. Neural nets has enabled significant breakthroughs in everything from computer vision, voice generation, voice recognition and self-driving cars. Game development is also a key area where these techniques are being applied. This book will give an in depth view of the potential of deep learning and neural networks in game development. We will take a look at the foundations of multi-layer perceptron’s to using convolutional and recurrent networks. In applications from GANs that create music or textures to self-driving cars and chatbots. Then we introduce deep reinforcement learning through the multi-armed bandit problem and other OpenAI Gym environments.As we progress through the book we will gain insights about DRL techniques such as Motivated Reinforcement Learning with Curiosity and Curriculum Learning. We also take a closer look at deep reinforcement learning and in particular the Unity ML-Agents toolkit. By the end of the book, we will look at how to apply DRL and the ML-Agents toolkit to enhance, test and automate your games or simulations. Finally, we will cover your possible next steps and possible areas for future learning.What you will learnLearn the foundations of neural networks and deep learning.Use advanced neural network architectures in applications to create music, textures, self driving cars and chatbots.Understand the basics of reinforcement and DRL and how to apply it to solve a variety of problems.Working with Unity ML-Agents toolkit and how to install, setup and run the kit.Understand core concepts of DRL and the differences between discrete and continuous action environments.Use several advanced forms of learning in various scenarios from developing agents to testing games.Who this book is forThis books is for game developers who wish to create highly interactive games by leveraging the power of machine and deep learning. No prior knowledge of machine learning, deep learning or neural networks is required this book will teach those concepts from scratch. A good understanding of Python is required.

Explore reinforcement learning (RL) techniques to build cutting-edge games using Python libraries such as PyTorch, OpenAI Gym, and TensorFlowKey FeaturesGet to grips with the different reinforcement and DRL algorithms for game developmentLearn how to implement components such as artificial agents, map and level generation, and audio generationGain insights into cutting-edge RL research and understand how it is similar to artificial general researchBook DescriptionWith the increased presence of AI in the gaming industry, developers are challenged to create highly responsive and adaptive games by integrating artificial intelligence into their projects. This book is your guide to learning how various reinforcement learning techniques and algorithms play an important role in game development with Python.Starting with the basics, this book will help you build a strong foundation in reinforcement learning for game development. Each chapter will assist you in implementing different reinforcement learning techniques, such as Markov decision processes (MDPs), Q-learning, actor-critic methods, SARSA, and deterministic policy gradient algorithms, to build logical self-learning agents. Learning these techniques will enhance your game development skills and add a variety of features to improve your game agent’s productivity. As you advance, you’ll understand how deep reinforcement learning (DRL) techniques can be used to devise strategies to help agents learn from their actions and build engaging games.By the end of this book, you’ll be ready to apply reinforcement learning techniques to build a variety of projects and contribute to open source applications.What you will learnUnderstand how deep learning can be integrated into an RL agentExplore basic to advanced algorithms commonly used in game developmentBuild agents that can learn and solve problems in all types of environmentsTrain a Deep Q-Network (DQN) agent to solve the CartPole balancing problemDevelop game AI agents by understanding the mechanism behind complex AIIntegrate all the concepts learned into new projects or gaming agentsWho this book is forIf you’re a game developer looking to implement AI techniques to build next-generation games from scratch, this book is for you. Machine learning and deep learning practitioners, and RL researchers who want to understand how to use self-learning agents in the game domain will also find this book useful. Knowledge of game development and Python programming experience are required.