#517: Agentic Al Programming with Python

Talk Python To Me

Michael Kennedy

Technology

4.8 • 642 Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Agentic AI programming is what happens when coding assistants stop acting like autocomplete and start collaborating on real work. In this episode, we cut through the hype and incentives to define “agentic,” then get hands-on with how tools like Cursor, Claude Code, and LangChain actually behave inside an established codebase. Our guest, Matt Makai, now VP of Developer Relations at DigitalOcean, creator of Full Stack Python and Plushcap, shares hard-won tactics. We unpack what breaks, from brittle “generate a bunch of tests” requests to agents amplifying technical debt and uneven design patterns. Plus, we also discuss a sane git workflow for AI-sized diffs. You’ll hear practical Claude tips, why developers write more bugs when typing less, and where open source agents are headed. Hint: The destination is humans as editors of systems, not just typists of code.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Agentic AI programming is what happens when coding assistants stop acting like
0:04.6	autocomplete and start collaborating on real work. In this episode, we cut through the hype and
0:09.5	incentives to define agentic, then get hands-on with how tools like cursor, cloud code,
0:15.9	and Langchain actually behave inside an established codebase. Our guest, Matt McKay, now the vice president
0:22.5	of developer relations at DigitalOcean, the creator of Full Stack Python, and PlushCap,
0:27.3	shares hard-won tactics. We unpack what breaks from brittle, generated a bunch of test requests,
0:34.1	to agents amplifying technical debt and uneven design patterns.
0:38.3	Plus, we also discuss a sane get workflow for AI-sized diffs.
0:43.3	You'll hear practical clodd tips, why developers write more bugs,
0:47.3	when they get less time programming, and where open source agents are headed.
0:52.3	Hint, the destination is humans as editors of systems,
0:56.5	not just typists of code.
0:58.9	This is Talk Python to Me.
1:00.0	Episode 517 recorded July 29th, 2025.
1:05.0	Yeah.
1:06.7	Talk Python to me.
1:08.4	Yeah, we ready to roll.
1:09.7	Upgrading the code. No fear of getting old. They sink in the air. New frameworks in sight. Geeky rap on deck. Quark crew. It's time to unite. We started in pyramid. Cruzeant. Welcome to Talk Python, a weekly podcast on Python. This is your host, Michael Kennedy. Follow me on Massadon, where I'm at M. Kennedy, and follow the podcast using at TalkPython,
1:30.9	both accounts over at Phostodon.org, and keep up with the show and listen to over nine years of episodes at TalkPython.fm.
1:38.8	If you want to be part of our live episodes, you can find the live streams over on YouTube,
1:43.5	subscribe to our YouTube
1:44.5	channel over at TalkPython.fm slash YouTube, and get notified about upcoming shows.
	...

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