The InfoQ Podcast AI-Driven Development with Olivia McVicker
Jan 19, 2026
In a delightful conversation, Olivia McVicker, a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft, shares her insights on the evolution of AI-driven software development. She explains how AI coding assistants enhance problem-solving by shifting cognitive load, allowing developers to focus on complex tasks. Olivia also discusses the emerging skills needed to effectively utilize AI tools, the importance of human validation, and the potential for AI to transform team dynamics. With practical advice and a look at future developments, this chat is a must-listen for tech enthusiasts!
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Episode notes
AI As A Cognitive Load Shifter
- AI coding assistants shift cognitive load so developers focus more on problem solving than routine tasks.
- Olivia McVicker sees AI as an extra teammate that speeds onboarding and brainstorming.
Learn To Prompt And Choose Models
- Learn to prompt and pick models suited to tasks to get reliable AI outputs.
- Develop AI dev-tooling skills because tooling choice and prompts greatly affect results.
Use Repo Instructions For Consistency
- Add repository-level instructions to teach the coding assistant project conventions.
- Use that same documentation to onboard new developers faster.