The Shift: Your open questions about agents, honest discussions

Microsoft

For everyone looking to stay ahead of agentic change, this season of The Shift explores our rapidly evolving world from a full stack perspective, connecting technical professionals to the teams and tools that are here to help. Each week we create space for top questions from the community, bringing you unscripted conversations about critical cloud, data and AI concepts, so we can all level up together.

  1. Is context engineering the new RAG?

    2D AGO

    Is context engineering the new RAG?

    In this episode of The Shift, members of the Microsoft Foundry team, Allison, Pamela and Matt explore a question from you, our community: Is context engineering the new RAG? The Shift, Agentic Edition connects the people building AI tools with those creating agents, so we can all level up together. Get the eBook: AI Apps and Agents | Microsoft Azure https://aka.ms/AIAppsAgents Join our community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ Get to know the team: Allison Sparrow, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsparrow/ Pamela Fox, Principal Cloud Advocate https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-s-fox/ Matt Gotteiner, Senior Program Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgotteiner/ The Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's positions as a company. This episode of The Shift was recorded in February 2026. All information about products and offers are relevant to the time of recording.

    28 min
  2. Wait, my agent needs a database?

    MAR 24

    Wait, my agent needs a database?

    In this episode of The Shift, members of the Microsoft Azure Database team, Nikisha, James, Debbi and Jared explore a question from you, our community: Wait, my agent needs a database? The Shift, Agentic Edition connects the people building AI tools with those creating agents, so we can all level up together. Get the eBook: Building a strategic database ecosystem: From Choice to Orchestration | Microsoft Azure https://aka.ms/databaseecosystem Join our community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ Meet the Team: Nikisha Reyes-Grange, Senior Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikisha/ James Codella, Principal Product Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescodella/ Jared Meade, Senior Program Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-meade/ Debbi Lyons, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbilyons/ The Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions. This episode of The Shift was recorded in January 2026. All information about products and offers are relevant to the time of recording.

    21 min
  3. How do agents work together?

    MAR 17

    How do agents work together?

    In this episode of The Shift, members of the Microsoft Foundry team, Takuto, Shawn, Amanda and Victor explore a question from you, our community: How do agents work together? The Shift, Agentic Edition connects the people building AI tools with those creating agents, so we can all level up together. Get the eBook: AI Apps and Agents | Microsoft Azure https://aka.ms/AIAppsandAgents Join our community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ Get to know the team: Takuto Higuchi, Product Strategy https://www.linkedin.com/in/takuto-higuchi-626681135/ Shawn Henry, Principal Group Product Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-patrick-henry/ Amanda Foster, Product Manager, Microsoft Foundry Agent Service https://www.linkedin.com/in/foster-amanda/ Victor Dibia, Principal RDSE at Microsoft Core AI https://www.linkedin.com/in/dibiavictor/ The Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's positions as a company. This episode of The Shift was recorded in January 2026. All information about products and offers are relevant to the time of recording.

    27 min
  4. Are my agents hunting for data?

    MAR 11

    Are my agents hunting for data?

    In this episode of The Shift, members of the Microsoft Fabric team, Ron, Dipti, Cillian and Josh explore a question from you, our community: Are my agents hunting for data? The Shift, Agentic Edition connects the people building AI tools with those creating agents, so we can all level up together. Get the guide: Unify Data l Microsoft Fabric https://aka.ms/UnifyDataMicrosoftFabric Join our community: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/ Get to know the team: Ronald Chang, Director Product Marketing https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-chang-15812828/ Dipti Borkar, VP & GM Microsoft OneLake & Fabric ISVs https://www.linkedin.com/in/diptiborkar/ Cillian Mitchell, Sr. Product Marketing Manager https://www.linkedin.com/in/cillian-mitchell/ Josh Caplan, Partner Director of Product for Microsoft OneLake https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-caplan-data/ The Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's positions as a company. This episode of The Shift was recorded in January 2026. All information about products and offers are relevant to the time of recording.

    20 min
  5. The Shift: Your open questions about agents, honest discussions

    SEASON 2 TRAILER

    The Shift: Your open questions about agents, honest discussions

    For everyone looking to stay ahead of agentic change, this season of The Shift explores our rapidly evolving world from a full stack perspective, connecting technical professionals to the teams and tools that are here to help. Each week we create space for top questions from the community, bringing you unscripted conversations about critical cloud, data and AI concepts, so we can all level up together.

    1 min
  6. Unpacking data governance and stewardship in the age of AI | GovLab

    07/01/2025

    Unpacking data governance and stewardship in the age of AI | GovLab

    AI technologies are some of the most sophisticated and powerful we’ve seen in our lifetimes. With data at the center, this transformative shift brings both the potential to solve complex problems and new challenges around managing sensitive information. Join us for a deep dive into innovative strategies that will reshape how you think about data governance in the age of AI. Stefaan Verhulst, PhD, Co-Founder, Chief Research and Development Officer, and Director of Data Program at GovLab, shares his expertise around the intricacies of data governance and the evolution of data stewardship. Susan and Stefaan discuss the importance of data commons, the concept of social license, examine the opportunities and risks of synthetic data, and explore the fourth wave of open data, where generative AI democratizes access to data. ⁠Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠⁠ Guest: ⁠⁠Stefaan Verhulst, PhD⁠⁠ | Co-Founder, Chief R&D Officer, Director of Data Program - GovLab Related: ⁠⁠Inquiry as Infrastructure: Defining Good Questions in the Age of Data and AI⁠ Related: ⁠Why Responsible Data Access will determine the Future of AI: The Increased Importance of Data Commons⁠ Get more ⁠⁠innovation insights⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠Microsoft Azure⁠⁠. Discover and follow other ⁠⁠Microsoft podcasts⁠⁠. Host: ⁠⁠Susan Etlinger⁠⁠ The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

    50 min
  7. Human agency is the force-multiplier for AI | Scott Hanselman, Microsoft

    06/24/2025

    Human agency is the force-multiplier for AI | Scott Hanselman, Microsoft

    Scott Hanselman, VP of Developer Community at Microsoft, joins the pod to offer his unique perspective on the evolution of technology, share what he heard from developers at Microsoft Build 2025, and discuss the critical role of human agency in a world of AI agents. Scott and Susan explore some of the challenges and opportunities presented by AI-powered automation, emphasizing the importance of AI guided by human decision-making, creativity, and ethical judgement. They contemplate what happens when something breaks and reflect on why context and understanding the deep stack are key to being able to fix it. Watch this episode on YouTube for the full experience as Scott brings in artifacts for some “show and tell” moments. Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠ Guest: ⁠Scott Hanselman⁠ | VP of Developer Community, Microsoft Related: ⁠Scott and Mark Learn To... Podcast⁠ | ⁠Hanselman.com Related: Redefining the Developer Experience with AI and DevOps Get more ⁠innovation insights⁠ from ⁠Microsoft Azure⁠. Discover and follow other ⁠Microsoft podcasts⁠. Host: ⁠Susan Etlinger⁠ The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

    33 min
  8. Software development is an act of empathy | Kilimo

    05/27/2025

    Software development is an act of empathy | Kilimo

    Water is fundamental to our existence, but only a tiny fraction of fresh water on Earth is available to sustain life. How can we become better stewards of this precious resource? In this episode, Susan speaks with Jairo Trad, CEO & Co-Founder of Kilimo, a climate tech company based in Argentina, about how he and his team are using data, AI, and cloud technology to help farmers optimize water use to promote a sustainable future. They discuss what it looks like to earn the trust of and design for farmers working in harsh conditions and remote locations, the role of empathy in product and software development, and how a combination of data, AI and what Jairo calls “common people magic” is helping Kilimo and customers move the needle on one of the world’s most significant challenges. ⁠Watch this episode on YouTube >⁠⁠ Guest: ⁠Jairo Trad⁠ | ⁠⁠Kilimo⁠ Related: ⁠⁠See more with Kilimo in Cloud Cultures⁠: Chile⁠ Related: ⁠Learn how Kilimo uses Azure AI to help farmers lower water usage⁠ Get more ⁠⁠innovation insights⁠⁠ from ⁠⁠Microsoft Azure⁠⁠. Discover and follow other ⁠⁠Microsoft podcasts⁠⁠. Host: ⁠⁠Susan Etlinger⁠⁠ The Leading the Shift podcast is a place for experts to share their insights and opinions. As students of the future of technology, Microsoft values inputs from a diverse set of voices. That said, the opinions and findings of our guests are their own and they may not necessarily reflect Microsoft's own research or positions.

    34 min
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About

For everyone looking to stay ahead of agentic change, this season of The Shift explores our rapidly evolving world from a full stack perspective, connecting technical professionals to the teams and tools that are here to help. Each week we create space for top questions from the community, bringing you unscripted conversations about critical cloud, data and AI concepts, so we can all level up together.

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