Cognitive Load & The AI Vampire

Birgitta, Heinrich and Sven look back at the latest developments in AI-assisted development, tools and practices which emerged in 2025 and work for teams. Furthermore they discuss a few topics like "where does the rigor go in AI assistance" from the future of software development retreat in Utah

Chapter Marks

-00:00:00 Intro & Welcome

-00:03:35 The State of AI-Assisted Coding in 2026: Agents, Subagents, …

-00:09:00 Context Engineering: The Real Lever

-00:19:00 Swarms and Agent Teams

-00:28:04 Platform Teams & Organizational Enablement

-00:34:15 Harness Engineering, Rigor & Quality

-00:49:49 Risk Thinking, Small Batches & Feedback Loops

-00:59:58 Cognitive Load & The “AI Vampire”

-01:10:34 AI for Migration & Modernization

-01:17:13 Culture Wars: Enthusiasts vs. Skeptics

Links

• Exploring GenAI by Birgitta and colleagues
• Chad Fowler, Relocating Rigor
• Future of Software Engineering Retreat in Utah
• Harness Engineering
• Vibe Coding Risk Radar