With all the noise surrounding AI, I've been focused on a simple question: beyond the hype, what can it actually do? How do I make my AI do some work for me!

I wanted to push a conversational AI past the limits of a simple chatbot to see if it could reliably handle a real, multi-step business process from start to finish. So, I set a practical goal: automate the hall booking process for the local Maryland Shortland Scout Group. The committee for the hall (which includes myself) are all busy and it’s volunteer work, so the more we can automate it the better!

Below you can see a simple text interaction, much like if you opened your favourite AI and started typing messages to it.

Nothing too extraordinary about that, though getting even that working well a few years ago would have been quite difficult. You can see in this next screenshot the AI has consulted the calendar to check availability. It’s not guessing, it's not hallucinating, it's actually going to check the Google Calendar.

I’ve recorded a walkthrough video of this project. It's a transparent, behind-the-scenes look at an AI agent I built that:

• Understands a spoken request from a person looking to hire the hall.

• Checks a live Google Calendar to see if the requested time is free.

• Gathers specific details like name, phone, and email during the conversation.

• Creates the event and books the slot in the calendar automatically.

• Sends a confirmation email to both the customer and the committee.

To achieve this, I had to give the AI a set of 'tools'—secure connections to other applications that allow it to take action. I used an automation platform (n8n) to connect the AI to the Google Calendar API and an email service. This gives the AI the ability to not just talk, but to interact with the same software we use every day.

If you're curious about the mechanics of how AI moves from a concept to a functional business tool, I think you'll find it interesting. You can watch the full project walkthrough here: youtube.com/watch?v=xQqBu0hSu4s

Of course, if this demonstration sparks any ideas, I’m happy to discuss.