Join the Live Coding Battle at Microsoft Reactor

On 10th June at 9 am PT, Microsoft Reactor is hosting an exciting live coding battle. Three talented individuals will be competing to demonstrate the capabilities of reasoning agents in real time before a streaming audience.

<h2>Setting the Stage for Creativity</h2>
<p>While a straightforward Q&A or a document summariser might seem like an easy choice, I opted for a more ambitious project. I’m introducing **Compliance Academy**: a captivating role-playing game where you'll assume the role of the chief investigator at <strong>Helix Dynamics</strong>, a fictional biotech firm that has lost 14 GB of critical clinical trial data. In this game, you'll interrogate five suspects to uncover a single perpetrator while navigating various compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, HIPAA, and ISO 27001.</p>

<h3>Why Compliance Academy?</h3>
<p>Most professionals view compliance training as a dull task they rush through just to meet a deadline. The information is usually dense, and the stakes may seem abstract. Many just learn enough to pass a quiz, which isn't the right approach for material that should genuinely impact decision-making.</p>
<p>With reasoning agents, we can flip this notion around. Instead of just presenting information, a multi-agent system creates scenarios where learners take charge. They are encouraged to ask questions, interrogate evasive suspects, and compile evidence. When a <strong>Compliance Officer</strong> agent later steps in to reference SOC 2 CC6.1 and Helix Dynamics' own policies, it resonates because the player has truly engaged with the material.</p>

<h2>How Does It Work?</h2>
<p>Built on the <strong>Microsoft Foundry Agent Service</strong>, and utilizing <strong>Azure OpenAI</strong> and <strong>Azure AI Search</strong>, Compliance Academy is designed for immersive learning. Here’s a brief overview of how the system functions:</p>
<ul>
    <li><strong>Connected Agents Pattern:</strong> There are always four core agents providing expertise, while additional suspect agents activate dynamically throughout the investigation.</li>
    <li><strong>Deep Personalities:</strong> Each suspect agent has unique backstories, alibis, and personalities. You'll encounter characters like an HR Director, an IT Admin, and a summer intern, each with hidden truths waiting to be uncovered.</li>
    <li><strong>Interactive UI:</strong> The audience interacts with a user-friendly Chainlit interface, featuring action buttons for briefing, suspect interrogation, and evidence gathering.</li>
</ul>

<h3>One of the Most Innovative Features</h3>
<p>The <strong>Scenario Generator</strong> is one of the standout features of this project. During the demo, participants can propose a breach scenario in just a sentence. Within about forty seconds, a fresh scenario loads into the game, allowing players to explore new challenges instantly.</p>

<h2>Key Takeaways for Future Projects</h2>
<p>Here are some essential lessons I learned that will guide my future projects involving reasoning agents:</p>
<ol>
    <li><strong>Ground Compliance in Retrieval:</strong> Always base compliance-related content on source material to avoid misinformation.</li>
    <li><strong>Prioritise User Experience:</strong> Observability isn’t an afterthought; it enriches the experience, especially during a live demo.</li>
    <li><strong>Leverage Corrective Feedback:</strong> Allow the model to self-correct its outputs, ensuring a smoother user interaction.</li>
    <li><strong>Specialise Agents:</strong> Each agent should have a distinct role to ensure efficiency and clarity.</li>
    <li><strong>Have Backup Plans:</strong> Ensure that you have a terminal-driven backup ready in case of unexpected issues.</li>
</ol>

<h2>Why Use Microsoft Foundry Agent Service?</h2>
<p>This platform is particularly well-suited for this project as it aligns perfectly with the Connected Agents framework. It offers seamless integration, making it easy to deploy and manage in one resource group.</p>

<h2>Join Us Live!</h2>
<p>Don’t miss out on witnessing how we tackle the Agents League Challenges! Watch live at <a href="https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor/events/26942/">this link</a>.</p>

<h2>Getting Started with the Project</h2>
<p>If you’re interested in diving deeper, the repository is open source! You can clone it and follow the instructions below:</p>

<pre>
git clone https://github.com/lwhieldon/msft-enterprise-learning-agent.git
cd msft-enterprise-learning-agent
python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
chainlit run app.py -w
</pre>

<h2>FAQs</h2>
<h3>What is Compliance Academy?</h3>
<p>It’s a role-playing game where players investigate a data breach, interrogating suspects and learning about compliance through interactive scenarios.</p>

<h3>How do I participate in the event?</h3>
<p>You can join the live broadcast on 10th June at 9 am PT via the Microsoft Reactor link provided.</p>

<h3>Is the source code available?</h3>
<p>Yes! The entire codebase is open-source and available for cloning and further exploration.</p>

<h3>Who is the author of this project?</h3>
<p>Lee Whieldon, a Principal at SC&H Group, leads the Data Analytics & AI advisory practice, focusing on structured data and reasoning agents.</p>