--- title: "Latest AI Techniques: RAG, Tool Use, Agents & MCP" description: "Embeddings, RAG, context engineering, tool calling, agents, MCP and the open agent standards, with hands-on code" url: https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp updated: 2026-10-05 --- AI · Advanced · 474 minutes · free · updated Sep 2026 # Latest AI Techniques: RAG, Tool Use, Agents & MCP Embeddings, RAG, context engineering, tool calling, agents, MCP and the open agent standards, with hands-on code - **Lessons:** 20 in 6 modules - **Video lectures:** 20 lectures, 177 minutes - **Updated:** Sep 2026 ## Tools you'll use - Claude API - OpenAI Agents SDK - MCP Python SDK - MCP Inspector - sentence-transformers - pgvector - rank-bm25 - Pydantic - Agent Skills - A2A protocol [Start the course](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/embeddings-and-semantic-search) ## About this course Modern AI systems do far more than answer from memory: they search your knowledge, call tools, act in loops and connect to business systems through open standards. This advanced course explains how, in vendor-neutral terms with hands-on code you can run today. You will build hybrid search and a cited RAG pipeline with reranking, evaluate retrieval and faithfulness separately, and choose advanced patterns such as agentic, graph, visual and long-context retrieval only when evidence demands them. You will design tools and structured outputs models use reliably, engineer context for long-running agents, compare agent frameworks and SDKs, and build your first MCP server on the 2026-07-28 specification. We cover A2A, Agent Skills and AGENTS.md, secure agents against the OWASP agentic Top 10, and finish with guardrails, agent evaluation and the discipline of knowing when not to use an agent. ## What you will learn - Build and measure keyword, semantic and hybrid retrieval with chunking and metadata strategies that work - Build a cited RAG pipeline, evaluate retrieval and faithfulness separately and pick advanced patterns on evidence - Design tools, strict schemas and structured outputs that models use correctly, with safe execution in code - Engineer context and memory for long-running agents and choose the right agent framework or platform - Explain MCP's architecture and 2026 changes, build a safe MCP server and apply A2A and Agent Skills - Secure agents against the OWASP agentic Top 10 with layered guardrails and human oversight - Evaluate agents on outcome, process and cost, and choose simpler designs when they are better ## Course content ### Embeddings, semantic search and indexing Understand how embeddings turn meaning into vectors, how semantic and hybrid search work, and how to chunk and index content well. - [Embeddings and semantic search](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/embeddings-and-semantic-search): 12 min - [Chunking and indexing strategies](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/chunking-and-indexing): 12 min ### Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) Build the full RAG pipeline with query transformation, reranking and citations, evaluate retrieval and generation separately, and apply advanced patterns when evidence demands them. - [The RAG pipeline: retrieval, reranking and citations](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/rag-pipeline): 13 min - [Evaluating RAG systems](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/evaluating-rag): 12 min - [Advanced RAG patterns: agentic, graph, visual and long-context](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/advanced-rag-patterns): 14 min ### Tool and function calling Let models act and fetch live information through well-designed tools and schema-guaranteed structured outputs, with safe execution on your side. - [Function calling fundamentals](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/function-calling-fundamentals): 12 min - [Designing good tools for models](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/designing-good-tools): 11 min - [Structured outputs and strict tool use](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/structured-outputs-and-strict-tools): 13 min ### Agent loops, multi-agent patterns and memory Understand how agents plan, act and observe in a loop, when to use multiple agents, how to give them memory, how to engineer their context, and how to choose frameworks and platforms. - [Agent loops: plan, act, observe](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/agent-loops): 13 min - [Multi-agent patterns](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/multi-agent-patterns): 11 min - [Memory and context management for agents](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/memory-for-agents): 11 min - [Context engineering: curating what the model sees](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/context-engineering-fundamentals): 14 min - [Agent frameworks, SDKs and platforms: how to choose](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/agent-frameworks-and-sdks): 13 min ### The Model Context Protocol (MCP) and open agent standards Understand MCP's architecture, primitives and 2026 changes, build and secure a server, and see how A2A, Agent Skills and AGENTS.md complete the open agent stack. - [MCP concepts: hosts, clients, servers and primitives](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/mcp-concepts): 12 min - [MCP security and governance](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/mcp-security): 12 min - [Building your first MCP server](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/building-an-mcp-server): 15 min - [The open agent standards: A2A, Agent Skills and AGENTS.md](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/open-agent-standards): 13 min ### Guardrails, human oversight and evaluating agents Put layered guardrails and human oversight around AI systems, secure agents against the OWASP agentic risks, evaluate agents properly, and recognise when not to use them. - [Guardrails and human-in-the-loop](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/guardrails-and-human-in-the-loop): 12 min - [Securing agents: the OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/securing-agents-owasp-agentic): 14 min - [Evaluating agents, and when not to use them](https://optimizeall.com/learn/latest-ai-techniques-rag-agents-mcp/evaluating-agents-and-when-not-to): 13 min ## Certificate: Certified AI Agent Builder The holder can design and build modern AI systems: hybrid retrieval, cited RAG pipelines with rigorous evaluation, structured outputs and well-designed tools, context-engineered agents with memory, MCP servers and the open agent standards. They secure agents against current agentic threats, apply layered guardrails and human oversight, evaluate agents rigorously and judge when simpler designs are better. - **Final assessment:** 30 questions, 45 minutes - **Passing score:** 80%