Beyond the Hype: Unpacking AI for Business Leaders & Professionals

Discover Agent Skills—small, explicit AI capabilities that make AI systems predictable and maintainable—at the Manchester Umbraco Meetup with Phil Whittaker. ## Why this event matters LLMs are powerful, but they’re probabilistic and context-limited when asked to do everything at once. This talk introduces a disciplined, engineering-led approach to AI: Agent Skills. These are small, explicit, discoverable units of capability that actively manage context, guidance, and deterministic behaviour. Rather than relying on huge prompts or generic agents, skills load only what’s needed for a task, guide the model with structure and rules, and delegate anything that must be exact to deterministic code. The result is more predictable, maintainable AI systems that fit into real-world software development workflows. This session is tailored for Umbraco developers, .NET engineers, technical leads, and developers curious about AI beyond hype. No deep AI background is required—just an interest in building systems that behave with intent. ## What you’ll learn - The anatomy of an Agent Skill: what makes a skill, how it’s triggered, and how it’s composed - How skills limit context and prompt scope to improve reliability - Why deterministic code paths are essential for accuracy and maintainability - Real-world examples and an Umbraco-friendly mindset for integrating AI into software projects - The shift from autonomous agents that guess to skilled systems designed with intent ## Who should attend - Umbraco developers and .NET engineers - Technical leads and software architects - Devs curious about practical, engineering-focused AI discussions - Attendees without AI experience who want to learn how to build intentional AI-powered systems ## Agenda (typical) - 18:00 – Open for Mingling - 18:30 – Pizza and Beer - 19:00 – Talk: The Future of AI Is Skilled - 19:45 – Open Social + Refreshments ## Details - Date/time: Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 6:00 PM local time (GMT) - Location: Manchester (in-person; check-in at reception to be guided to the meetup venue) - Organizer: Manchester Umbraco Meetup - Format: In-person talk with networking - Registration: Please RSVP and view details at the event page: https://www.meetup.com/manchester-umbraco-meetup/events/313187639 - Related topics: automation, ai-agents, visual-development ## Why you should go This meetup offers a practical, engineering-first lens on AI—helping you design AI-enabled software that behaves predictably and is easier to m

Practical, demo-driven AI for software engineers in Manchester: learn how teams are using AI in production with real tools, live demos, and actionable takeaways. What to expect This February edition of Practically AI is a community-led evening focused on how engineers are actually using AI in production today — from day-to-day development workflows to operational automation and tooling. The format stays true to the meetup’s core focus: practical, demo-driven AI for software engineers with real tools, real constraints, and lessons you can apply immediately. Expect concrete examples around AI-assisted coding, AI-powered developer tooling, and production workflows—not theory or hype. Who should attend Software engineers, platform engineers, tech leads, and engineering managers who want to use AI as part of their day job, not just read about it. If you’re building, testing, shipping, or operating software and want to see how AI fits into real workflows, this is for you. Why it’s worth attending Gain practical insight into how AI is being applied across modern engineering teams and connect with Manchester’s growing applied-AI community. Even with a final talk yet to be announced, these evenings consistently deliver useful ideas, honest discussions, and conversations with people facing similar problems. Agenda - 18:30 – Doors, pizza & mingling - 18:50 – Introductions - 19:00 – Talk - 19:40 – Q&A - 19:50 – Open social & refreshments - 20:30 – Close Entry & venue Entry on arrival at Accenture’s Manchester office (2 Symphony Park, Circle Square, Manchester M1 7FS). Please check in at reception and you’ll be directed to the meetup. Attendees must show a form of ID on entry. Target audience and outcomes - Attendees will walk away with concrete ideas for integrating AI into daily development workflows, from coding to deployment and monitoring. - Understand how engineering teams are evaluating and using AI-powered tooling in real-world scenarios. - Build connections with peers in Manchester’s applied-AI ecosystem for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Registration RSVP via the Meetup page above. While the final main talk is TBD, the session will maintain Practically AI’s hands-on, demo-driven approach that emphasizes practical outcomes you can apply immediately. Find more AI events in Manchester and explore related topics at the linked pages: [Manchester](https://www.createwith.com/cities/manchester) | [automation events](https://www.createwith.com/directory/