Build Your First AI Agent in 24 Minutes

Key Concepts

AI Agents, Personal Assistant Agent, Telegram Bot, n8n, OpenAI Chat Model, Gmail API, Google Calendar API, Prompt Engineering, API Keys, Workflow Automation, JSON Parsing, Event Creation, Email Summarization, Tool Agents.

Setting up a Personal Assistant AI Agent with n8n

1. Introduction

The video explains how to create a basic AI agent using n8n that acts as a personal assistant. This agent can access your email, calendar, and perform actions like summarizing emails, replying to emails, getting calendar events, and creating new calendar events. The agent interacts with the user through a Telegram bot.

2. Setting up n8n

• Account Creation: Create a free account on n8n cloud.
• New Scenario: Create a new scenario in n8n, which will be the workspace for building the agent.

3. Telegram Bot Setup

• Chat Trigger: Use Telegram as the trigger for the agent.
• BotFather: Search for "BotFather" in Telegram. This is a Telegram bot used to create new bots.
• Creating a New Bot: Use the /newbot command in BotFather to create a new bot. Give the bot a name (e.g., "Personal Assistant") and a username (e.g., "AI Agents University bot").
• Access Token: BotFather will provide an access token. Keep this token private.
• n8n Credential: In n8n, create a new credential for Telegram using the access token.
• Testing the Connection: Send a message to the newly created Telegram bot (e.g., "Hello world"). This will trigger the n8n workflow and pull data into the n8n environment.

4. AI Agent Configuration

• Adding AI Agent Node: Add an "AI Agent" node in n8n (Advanced AI -> AI Agent). Set it to "Tools Agent".
• Defining the Prompt: Define the core prompt for the agent. For example: "You are an intelligent AI agent personal assistant. You have access to my email and calendar and can take the following actions: get and reply to emails, get calendar events, and create new calendar events."
• OpenAI Chat Model: Connect the agent to an OpenAI chat model.
  • API Key: Obtain an API key from OpenAI (platform.openai.com). Go to "API Keys" in the dashboard and create a new secret key.
  • Connecting the Model: In n8n, create a new connection to OpenAI using the API key. Select a model (e.g., "gpt-4-0-turbo").
• Inputting the Message: Create a fix expression to ensure the actual message is getting into the prompt. Use input and create a fix expression to set the input text as the input.

5. Connecting to Gmail

• Gmail Credential: Create a new credential for Gmail in n8n using OAuth2. Sign in to your Google account.
• Gmail Tool: Add a "Gmail" tool node after the AI Agent node.
  • Operation: Set the operation to "Get Many" to retrieve emails.
  • Limit: Limit the number of emails to retrieve (e.g., 10).

6. Sending Messages to Telegram

• Telegram Send Message Node: Add a "Telegram" -> "Send a Message" node after the Gmail node.
• Chat ID: Use the chat ID from the Telegram trigger.
• Text: Set the text to the output of the AI Agent model.

7. Testing the Basic Workflow

• Triggering the Agent: Send a message to the Telegram bot (e.g., "Summarize my the most recent email that I received").
• Executing the Workflow: In n8n, click "Execute Workflow".
• Verifying the Output: Check the Telegram bot for the summarized email.

8. Adding the Ability to Send Emails

• Gmail Send Tool: Add another "Gmail" tool node. Set the operation to "Send".
• Defining Parameters: Use expressions to define the "To", "Subject", and "Message" fields. Use the fromAI method to determine these values based on what the agent is saying. For example:
  • {{ fromAI("email") }} for the recipient email.
  • {{ fromAI("subject") }} for the email subject.
  • {{ fromAI("message") }} for the email message body.
• Testing Email Sending: Send a message to the Telegram bot (e.g., "Send a message to ethan@smartscaling.ai asking if he wants to collab on an AI agent build").

9. Connecting to Google Calendar

• Google Calendar Credential: Create a new credential for Google Calendar in n8n using OAuth2. Sign in to your Google account.
• Google Calendar Tool (Get Events): Add a "Google Calendar" tool node. Set the operation to "Get Many" to retrieve calendar events. Limit the number of events to retrieve (e.g., 5).
• Google Calendar Tool (Create Event): Add another "Google Calendar" tool node. Set the operation to "Create" to create new calendar events.
• Defining Event Parameters: Use expressions to define the event parameters:
  • Start Time: {{ fromAI("start time") }}
  • End Time: {{ fromAI("end time") }}
  • Event Title: Add a "Summary" field and set it to {{ fromAI("event title") }}.
• Testing Calendar Integration:
  • Send a message to the Telegram bot (e.g., "What events do I have on my calendar?").
  • Send a message to the Telegram bot (e.g., "Create a new event on my calendar called YouTube launch in three days at 5:00 pm EST").

10. Debugging

• Error Handling: The video demonstrates debugging common issues, such as invalid email addresses and incorrect JSON parsing.
• Assistant Feedback: The video uses the AI assistant to ask why certain errors occurred and how to resolve them.
• Module Output: The video checks the output of each module to ensure the data is being passed correctly.

11. Conclusion

The video concludes by summarizing the steps to create a personal assistant AI agent using n8n, Telegram, OpenAI, Gmail, and Google Calendar. The agent can summarize emails, send emails, retrieve calendar events, and create new calendar events. The video also mentions resources for further learning, such as Smart Scaling AI and AI Agent University.

12. Notable Quotes

• "Whether you like it or not you're going to need to learn AI in some regard over the next few years as AI will be taking vast amounts of entry level jobs."
• (Referring to the API key) "Make sure that this key is private you don't want to share this with anyone."

Technical Terms and Concepts

• AI Agent: A software entity that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals.
• n8n: A workflow automation platform that allows users to connect different applications and automate tasks.
• Telegram Bot: A bot that runs inside the Telegram messaging app and can interact with users.
• API Key: A code used to authenticate and authorize access to an API (Application Programming Interface).
• OAuth2: An authorization framework that enables applications to obtain limited access to user accounts on an HTTP service.
• JSON: JavaScript Object Notation, a lightweight data-interchange format.
• Prompt Engineering: The process of designing and refining prompts to elicit desired responses from AI models.
• Tool Agents: AI agents that can use external tools or APIs to perform tasks.
• Workflow Automation: The process of automating a sequence of tasks or processes.

Logical Connections

The video follows a logical progression:

1. Introduction: Explains the purpose of the video and the capabilities of the AI agent.
2. Setting up n8n: Establishes the foundation for building the agent.
3. Telegram Bot Setup: Creates the communication channel between the user and the agent.
4. AI Agent Configuration: Configures the AI agent with the prompt and connects it to the OpenAI model.
5. Connecting to Gmail and Google Calendar: Integrates the agent with email and calendar services.
6. Testing and Debugging: Demonstrates how to test the agent and troubleshoot common issues.
7. Conclusion: Summarizes the steps and provides resources for further learning.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The video provides a practical guide to building a personal assistant AI agent using n8n and various APIs. It covers the essential steps from setting up the environment to configuring the agent and integrating it with email and calendar services. The video emphasizes the importance of prompt engineering, API key management, and debugging techniques. The final product is a functional AI agent that can assist with email management and calendar scheduling, showcasing the potential of AI in automating personal tasks.