ai agents, authored

AI agents aren't coded line by line anymore. They're authored, in plain words, on your own data.

AlohAI is a community-run training morning for Hawaiʻi's makers, small businesses, nonprofits, schools and public servants. You arrive with a job you'd like help with, and you leave with an AI agent you built yourself.

Copilot at workVolunteer AI agent

Instructions written
From your description, in plain English
Knowledge connected
SharePoint · volunteer handbook
Data grounded
Dataverse · shifts and volunteers
Action added
Agent flow · send a Teams shift invite
Tool attached
MCP server · community event calendar
Ready to publish
Teams and Microsoft 365 Copilot, governed in Agent 365

Illustration: the six steps you'll take at the event.

made for the islands

AI only matters here if it helps the people here. Every example at AlohAI comes from local work: the shop on the corner, the food bank on Saturday, the classroom on Monday. Pick a story to see an AI agent at work.

Microsoft TeamsKaimukī Lei Co. · Orders

ChatsOrders AI agentShipping deskFamily

Leilani · ownerWhich orders ship to Maui and Kauaʻi this week?

Orders AI agentSeven orders ship Thursday: four to Maui, three to Kauaʻi.

Maui4 orders · 38 lei

Kauaʻi3 orders · 21 lei

Create packing listEmail customers

Source: Orders.xlsx

Leilani · ownerCreate the packing list.

Orders AI agentDone. It's in the Shipping folder and the desk has been told.

Illustration. A small business story from the build session; the shop is fictional.

what you'll build with

Six building blocks, one AI agent. Pick one to watch it at work, or let the tour run. Every scene is the same volunteer AI agent from the build session.

Copilot StudioVolunteer AI agent · Overview

Volunteer AI agentDraft

InstructionsHelp coordinators fill Saturday shifts. Look up who is free, send Teams invites, and always confirm before contacting anyone.

Generative orchestrationThe AI agent plans which knowledge and tools to use

Ask before actingConfirm before sending messages

Web searchAnswer only from your own sources

Illustration: describing an AI agent and choosing how it behaves.

Agent 365Your organization's AI agents

AI agent	Owner	Data	Status
Volunteer AI agent	Kainoa	Internal	Published
Orders AI agent	Leilani	Internal	Published
Donor AI agent	Mele	Confidential	Needs review

Policy Confidential data needs an owner review before publishing
1 AI agent waiting · reviewer notified

Illustration: every AI agent has an owner, a data label and a review before it goes live.

describe it, see your ai agent

This is the shift the morning is about. In Copilot Studio you start an AI agent by saying what it should do. Type a job below and watch a draft take shape: its instructions, knowledge, tools and trigger.

What should your AI agent do?

A sketch of the idea, drafted in your browser by simple rules. The real thing happens in Copilot Studio, and you'll build one at AlohAI.

Copilot StudioDraft · not published

B

Booking AI AgentBooks lessons for website visitors

Instructions: You are Booking AI Agent. Help customers on our website book a beginner surf lesson in Waikīkī and email them a confirmation. Be warm and brief, cite the source you used, and ask before you take any action.
Knowledge: Public website
Tools: Check availability (MCP server)Send an email (Outlook)
Trigger: When someone messages the AI agent
Channels: Website embed · Microsoft Teams

TestPublish

how the morning runs

A waʻa only moves when every seat pulls together. So does an AI agent: instructions, knowledge, tools and someone steering. The morning follows the same order. Times will be posted with the venue.

arrive and talk story

Coffee, introductions and the people you'll build next to. Bring a laptop and one real task from your work or community you'd like an AI agent to help with.

Attendees around the tables at AlohAI 2025, listening to a session — AlohAI 2025, Honolulu

the keynote

Authoring, not coding. Where AI agents on Power Platform stand at the end of 2026: generative orchestration, agent flows, MCP, and what it means for Hawaiʻi's workforce.

build one together

Hands-on in Copilot Studio. Describe an AI agent, ground it in real data, give it one agent flow and test it before the coffee is cold.

lightning talks

Short, real stories from Microsoft MVPs and local teams who put AI agents to work. Demos encouraged.

steer, then aloha

Responsible AI without the brakes: environments, ALM and Agent 365. Then open questions, a group photo and lunch plans.

who's on stage

Microsoft MVPs and local builders. The call for speakers is open until the line-up is full, and first-time speakers are welcome.

Submit a talk

Victor Dantas presenting at AlohAI 2025 in front of a full room

Line-up announced soon.

Speakers appear here as they're confirmed; last year's AlohAI filled the room. Built an AI agent for a local team? Tell us about it.

good questions

When and where is AlohAI 2026?

Wednesday, December 23, 2026, in Honolulu. The venue and start time will be announced here soon.

When does registration open?

Soon. Seats will be limited, and the registration link will appear on this page as soon as it opens.

Who is it for?

Anyone in Hawaiʻi who wants to put AI to work: small business owners, nonprofit staff, teachers and students, public servants, IT teams and developers. No prior Copilot Studio or AI experience is needed.

Do I need to write code?

No. Authoring an AI agent starts with plain language. Developers will find plenty in the MCP, code apps and ALM parts of the morning.

What should I bring?

A laptop with a browser, and one real task you'd like an AI agent to help with. A Copilot Studio trial or a work environment you're allowed to experiment in lets you keep what you build.

Can I speak?

Please do. Lightning talks and demos about real AI agents are the heart of the morning. Submit on Sessionize.

Who organizes AlohAI?

AlohAI is run by the local community and organized by Microsoft MVP Victor Dantas. It isn't an official Microsoft event.

e komo mai, ai builders

Welcome. One morning in Honolulu, December 23, and you leave with an AI agent you authored yourself.

Registration opens soon