How To Create Ai Agents From Scratch (CrewAI, Zapier, Cursor)

In this episode, I am joined by João Moura, CEO of Crew AI, where we dive deep into how to build AI agent systems ranging from simple lead enrichment to complex content generation workflows. The tutorial covers both no-code and code-based approaches, showing how to create agents that can research, analyze, and generate content autonomously. The session includes practical examples of integrating with various tools and services, debugging, and optimizing agent performance.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:33 - Why build AI Agents
02:42 - Lead Enrichment Agent Use Case Overview
10:49 - Choosing and Testing the AI Models
18:11 - Debugging
20:40 - Setting Up a Webflow Website
22:43 - Integrating with Zapier
26:50 - Custom PDF Report Generation
26:50 - Generating Templates for PDF Report
31:57 - Testing Email Output
35:55 - Interpolating Variables in the PDF
39:53 - Updating the Crew for Structured Output
42:48 - Confirming Email Output
46:00 - Updating the Crew for Structured Output continued
50:08 - Introducing Multiple Agent Flows
52:41 - Long Form Content Generation System Agent Use Case Overview
53:57 - Building Content Planner Agent
1:02:21 - Testing Content Planner Agent
1:06:48 - Building Content Creator Agent
1:18:04 - Debugging Content Creator Agent
1:20:28 - Testing PDF Generator
1:24:23 - Debugging Content Creator Agent
1:31:23 - Testing Content Creator Agent
1:34:49 - Final demonstration and conclusions

Key Points:
• Introduction to Crew AI platform for building and orchestrating AI agents
• Demonstration of creating AI agents for lead enrichment and email automation
• Step-by-step walkthrough of building complex multi-agent systems

1) Basic Agent Development Setup:

Start with the no-code Crew Studio interface
Define agents with specific roles & tools (like SERPR for research)
Structure tasks for each agent
Deploy through UI or CLI (both give same output)

2) Multi-Agent PDF Report Generator:

Research agent gathers info
Analysis agent processes data
Email agent crafts personalized outreach
Add tools like SERPR & web scraping
Output custom PDFs instead of plain emails

3) Flow-Based Architecture

Gather user input → Generate content plan → Create chapters
Visual flow diagrams help track agent interactions
Each step can trigger multiple parallel actions
Perfect for complex content generation

4) Pro Tips on Model Selection:

GPT-4 Mini good starting point
Smaller models (7B, 14B) often inefficient
Can test different models with crew.ai_test
Compare quality scores & hallucination rates

5) Real World Example: SEO Course Generator

Takes topic, learning style & interests
Generates custom chapter outline
Adds relevant examples (used gaming for SEO)
Creates complete markdown content
Outputs professional PDF report

6) Key Learning: Start Simple, Then Scale

Begin with basic agent setup
Add complexity gradually
Test each component
Use tools like Zapier for integration
Deploy with proper error handling

7) Advanced Features:

Before/after hooks for precise control
Pydantic models for structured output
Flow visualization for complex systems
PDF generation with custom templates
Multi-agent orchestration


Notable Quotes:
"Going from zero to one is very fast and getting faster and faster. Going one to 10 is still very much like what traditionally has been." - Joe Moura on AI development

"You don't need to go and build the fanciest output from day one... Don't you want to just try and get the basics going first?" - Greg Isenberg

Links Mentioned:

AI Agent Intro Course: https://www.deeplearning.ai/short-cou...

AI Agent In-Depth Course: https://www.deeplearning.ai/short-cou...

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BoringAds — ads agency that will build you profitable ad campaigns http://boringads.com/

BoringMarketing — SEO agency and tools to get your organic customers http://boringmarketing.com/

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