Build AI Apps That Use Tools with Microsoft Foundry

Build practical, tool-enabled AI applications with Microsoft Foundry in this online, hands-on North East Azure Hub session on 31 August 2026 at 6pm BST. Generative AI becomes significantly more useful when it can move beyond producing text and take action through external systems. This session explores how to give an AI application access to tools, enabling it to perform real tasks as part of a wider workflow rather than responding with generated content alone. ## What you’ll learn The meetup will introduce the principles behind tool-enabled AI and then put them into practice with Microsoft Foundry. During the session, you’ll: - Explore how AI applications connect to and interact with external systems - Learn how models determine when a tool is needed - Examine how a model chooses and calls the appropriate tool - Build a practical example using Microsoft Foundry - See how tool calls can fit into a complete application workflow The emphasis is on real-world learning rather than theory alone. By following the practical example, attendees will gain a clearer understanding of the mechanics behind AI applications that can select capabilities and act on their outputs. ## Who should attend? This event is suitable for Azure professionals, developers, cloud practitioners, learners and AI enthusiasts interested in building more capable applications. No previous experience with Microsoft Foundry is required: the material is designed so that complete newcomers can follow along. It also provides a natural next step for anyone who attended the community’s earlier session on building a first AI agent. The North East Azure Hub welcomes people at every experience level, from those beginning their Azure journey to practitioners building cloud-native systems every day. Its broader programme covers AI, automation, DevOps, identity, infrastructure, security, data and cloud architecture, with a focus on hands-on sessions, open conversation and practical knowledge sharing. ## Event format… Register for this event