In this episode, Microsoft Developer hosts Elijah King as he showcases how designers can leverage VS Code’s AI-powered agents to rapidly build a fully working iOS chatbot app with natural language prompts.

Building an App in VS Code with AI Agents – Cozy AI Kitchen

Host: John Maeda, VP of Design and AI, Microsoft
Guest: Elijah King, Product Designer, VS Code Team

Overview

This session explores the future of app creation where natural language and AI agents enable anyone—including non-developers and designers—to build fully-working iOS chatbot applications directly within Visual Studio Code (VS Code). Elijah King demonstrates the entire process, emphasizing the accessibility and power of AI-driven developer tools.

Key Learning Points

  • Natural Language to Code: How VS Code Background Agents translate prompts into executable code
  • AI Model Switching: Using Haiku 4.5, Codex, and Gemini Pro 3 to balance speed, accuracy, and creativity in app development
  • Rapid App Bootstrapping: Creating the foundation of an iOS app with a single prompt
  • Multi-Agent Workflows: Utilizing parallel AI agents to add features such as UI, settings menus, theme toggles, and secure API key storage
  • Empowering Designers: Encouragement and demonstration of how non-coders can become design engineers

Chapters

  • 00:00 – Are Designers Becoming Design Engineers?
  • 00:15 – The History of “Designers Who Can Code”
  • 00:28 – Welcoming Elijah King
  • 00:49 – VS Code Empowers Non‑Developers
  • 01:13 – Creating a New Repo & Intro to VS Code Agents
  • 02:06 – Triggering the First AI Agent to Build iOS App
  • 03:23 – Running Terminal Commands with Agent Oversight
  • 04:57 – Launching the iOS Simulator
  • 07:14 – Transforming the App into a Chatbot Using Codex
  • 08:01 – Parallel Feature Development with Multi-Agent Magic
  • 09:04 – Adding Settings, Themes, API Keys, and Modern UI
  • 10:07 – Demo: Final iOS Chatbot App
  • 10:26 – Closing Thoughts for Aspiring Design Engineers

Resources

Takeaways

  • Developers and designers can use AI agents in VS Code to automate code generation, app bootstrapping, UI customization, and more using simple prompts.
  • Model switching enables balancing different aspects (speed, creativity, accuracy) for specific app tasks.
  • The flow outlined makes app creation accessible, bridging the gap between creative vision and production-ready code.

Speakers:

  • Elijah King – Product Designer, VS Code
  • John Maeda – Host, Cozy AI Kitchen; VP of Design and Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft