The Software Developer's AI Cheat Sheet Revealed

Listen to this episode from The Programming Podcast on Spotify. In this episode of The Programming Podcast, Danny Thompson and Leon Noel are joined by special guest Santiago, a machine learning engineer and teacher of the Machine Learning School cohort, for one of the most actionable and grounded AI discussions in tech today.We cut through the hype and dive deep into:- How AI is (and isn’t) replacing developers- Using AI as a co-pilot vs letting AI drive- Vector databases, embeddings, and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)- Model Context Protocol (MCP), agent-based systems, and why no one agrees on what an agent is- The underhyped power of edge ML and TinyML- Real-world agent use cases (like automating DocuSign workflows)- Getting started with AI as a developer today — beyond building chatbotsFollow our Guest Co-host:https://x.com/svpinohttps://www.ml.school/https://www.youtube.com/@UCgLxmJ8xER7Y7sywMN5SfWg This episode is loaded with insights for junior devs, industry veterans, and anyone curious about building real AI-enhanced applications.🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more developer-first conversations!⏱️ Timestamps & Chapters:0:00 – Will AI Replace Software Developers?0:45 – Embracing AI as a Developer Tool2:00 – Meet the Hosts and Guest (Danny, Leon, Santiago)3:20 – Leon’s AI Skepticism Journey4:30 – Why “AI Won’t Replace You, But Someone Using It Might”6:30 – Becoming a Solo Builder at Scale with AI8:15 – Real Examples of Using AI to Get More Done9:45 – AI and the Power of Prototyping11:00 – AI Co-pilot vs. You Co-piloting AI13:00 – Future of Tools Built for AI (MCP, A2A)14:40 – Shifting Between Developer Modes with AI17:00 – Intro to Vector Databases & Embeddings20:45 – What is Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)?23:00 – Large Context Windows vs RAG: Is RAG Still Relevant?25:30 – Indexing Speed & Clustering Explained with Spice Rack Analogy27:50 – Why Grounding Matters (Reducing Hallucinations in LLMs)31:00 – The Importance of the Ingestion Layer32:10 – Other Crucial AI Trends: MCP, Agent-to-Agent33:00 – Defining AI Agents (Why No One Agrees)35:00 – The Browser Wars of Agent Definitions36:30 – Overhyped vs Underrepresented AI Concepts38:00 – Specialized Tools for AI Builders39:45 – Agents Will Be the Next Microservices41:00 – Real-World Example: AI + DocuSign + Slack + Asana Integration43:00 – Underhyped: TinyML and AI on Edge Devices45:00 – Apple’s Adapter Strategy with LoRA Models47:00 – Companies Aren’t Ready to Train Custom Models Yet48:30 – Santiago’s Current AI Stack: Cursor, Windsurf, Tracer, and More50:30 – Specialized Tools for GitHub Issues, Jupyter Notebooks52:20 – Fine-Tuning Tools & Lightweight Model Training (DPO, RLHF)54:00 – Ask Danny, Leon & Santiago: How to Get Started in AI55:00 – First Project Ideas: RAG with YouTube, Building MCP Servers58:00 – Easy Agent Idea: Email Filter for Promotions59:00 – Leon’s Learning Stack: FastAI, MCP Docs, Replicate1:00:00 – Danny’s Favorite Beginner Project: Alt Text Generator1:00:25 – Wrap-Up and Goodbye