dotnet hosts Mark Miller, Frank Boucher, and David Pine as they explore the development of AiGen, an AI-driven coding assistant for Visual Studio, and the key insights for .NET developers.

Beyond Chat: Building Smarter AI Agents in .NET with AiGen

Featured Guests: Mark Miller, Frank Boucher, David Pine

Overview

This episode explores the technical and design journey behind AiGen, a next-generation AI coding assistant created for Visual Studio. Unlike most AI tools that rely on chat interfaces, AiGen is designed to deliver seamless, single-step code changes, making it feel like working with a lightning-fast pair programming expert.

Key Topics

• AiGen’s Unique Approach: How AiGen differs from chat-based AI tools by enabling one-question, one-solution code changes directly within Visual Studio.
• C# Integration: Technical details of integrating AI-driven features in C# applications and utilizing .NET's capabilities.
• User Experience & Design: Decisions the team made to streamline workflows, improve usability, and optimize developer productivity.
• Lessons Learned: Practical takeaways for developers seeking to implement AI features in their own .NET apps, including pitfalls, best practices, and design considerations.
• AI in Developer Tools: How Microsoft technologies are shaping the future of intelligent development environments.

Practical Takeaways for Developers

• Strategies for building custom AI assistants in .NET
• Tips on combining AI inference with traditional toolchains
• UX principles for making AI-powered features intuitive and non-intrusive

Conclusion

Mark, Frank, and David offer actionable insights suitable for any .NET developer interested in advancing their toolset with AI. Their lessons cover technical integration, team workflow, and experience design.

Stay tuned for more On .NET Live episodes focused on the future of development.