---
published: true
layout: post
title: You See AI Agents but API Evangelist Just Sees API Discovery, Semantics, Hypermedia, Workflows, Automation, and Events
tags:
  - Artificial Intelligence
  - Workflows
  - Semantics
  - Hypermedia
image: >-
  https://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/algorotoscope-master/eugenics-banana-subway-stairs.jpeg
---
The official stance of API Evangelist on the AI hype is the same as it has been for fifteen years, and to never ever go too far down any single API application rabbit hole. Mobile application development evolved a lot, but stopping short of the interfaces that were used was very important. Devices made for compelling interfaces, but no need to get caught up too heavily with the Internet of Things. Wolfram Alpha, IBM Watson, and Tensorflow have been amazing learning experiences, but just sticking with interfaces was the best approach. The same applies to the current wave of artificial intelligence, so when you say AI Agents, API Evangelist just sees the following.

- **API Discovery** - Ensuring that your APIs all possess APIs.json that assist with onboarding and the business details.
- **API Semantics** - Taking what we learned from JSON-LD and other linked data work to ensure there is context.
- **Hypermedia APIs** - Building on the affordances that the web brought to the table and not taking it for granted.
- **API Workflows** - Doing the work to stitch our API resources into meaningful business workflows for end-users.
- **API Automation** - Understanding the best approach to schedule, trigger, and automate well-known processes.
- **API Events** - Identifying the events that are most meninful and making sure our systems are responding appropriately.

Mobile was definitely the catalyst for launching API Evangelist in 2010, but it was the universal ways in which HTTP APIs were being used for blogging, social, compute, storage, mapping, messaging, and other resources that kept things moving forward. The discovery of digital resources and capabilities, and understanding the differences between them and what order they should be put to work takes a lot of investment, hard work and fine tuning. It can be very exciting to think about the ways in which digital resources and capabilities can be shaped into interesting new digital experiences, but doing it well, so that it has a positive impact on our personal or professional lives transcends any single application of APIs. Staying focused on the interfaces helps build the discipline needed to weather each cycle that comes along.