
How the Best DevOps Engineers Are Using AI to Get Sh*t Done
From Beyond Coding by Patrick Akil
April 29, 2026 · 47 min · Episode 249
About this episode
Rob Bos discusses the essential fundamentals engineers need to understand about AI coding tools to avoid common pitfalls.
Most engineers are using AI coding tools without understanding what they actually are and it's costing them. Microsoft Certified Trainer Rob Bos has trained thousands of engineers on AI tooling, and he sees the same gaps in fundamentals show up again and again, regardless of seniority. This is what you need to know: What an LLM actually is (and why understanding this changes how you use it) Why prompt engineering isn't optional How AI magnifies your existing technical debt instead of fixing it The 6-month learning curve nobody warns you about Why your role as an engineer was never about writing code The environmental cost behind every prompt Whether you're skeptical of AI tools or already living in agent mode, these are the fundamentals that separate engineers who get real value from those who get burned by the hype. Connect with Rob: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bosrob References:Token tracker: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=RobBos.copilot-token-tracker Dev survey: https://www.activestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ActiveState-Developer-Survey-2019-Open-Source-Runtime-Pains.pdf Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:43 - The #1 Thing Engineers Get Wrong About…
People in this episode
Host: Patrick Akil
Guest: Rob Bos
Topics covered
- AI coding tools
- engineering fundamentals
- prompt engineering
- technical debt
- learning curve
- role of engineers
- environmental cost of AI
Keywords
- AI
- coding
- engineers
- Microsoft Trainer
- prompt engineering
- technical debt
- learning curve
- environmental cost
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Microsoft, ActiveState
Products: AI coding tools, LLM, Token tracker, Dev survey
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