Bill Doerrfeld

What is context engineering? As developer teams integrate more AI tooling into their workflows, a new practice is emerging: context engineering.

What exactly do we mean by context engineering? I unpack the term for @leaddev.com and look at some emerging context engineering patterns.
leaddev.com/ai/what-is-c...

The real breakthrough in robotics is foundation models — not hardware Discover how physical AI foundation models are moving beyond chatbots to power autonomous robotics in the real world. Explore LBM, VLA, and edge computing.

AI is getting physical — and the real differentiator won't be hardware. It'll be the models.

My latest for @thenewstack.io looks at LBM, VLA, open world models, edge constraints, and what it takes to make physical AI work at scale.

thenewstack.io/physical-ai-...

How to justify AI investments Workato CTO Adam Seligman explains why internal AI initiatives must tie directly to real business outcomes, and how deeper integration via MCP was their big game-changer.

For this month's DirectorPlus edition, Workato's CTO shares their internal success story using MCP within Claude. Some impressive usage numbers and outcomes!
Read on @leaddev.com:
leaddev.com/ai/how-to-ju...

Five MCP servers to rule the cloud The hyperscalers were quick to support AI agents and the Model Context Protocol. Use these official MCP servers from the major cloud providers to automate your cloud operations.

The hyperscalers jumped on the #MCP train quickly. So what can you actually do with MCP servers for major clouds?

My latest for @infoworld.bsky.social looks at what's possible using official MCP servers from AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle, and IBM Cloud.

www.infoworld.com/article/4129...

6 agentic knowledge base patterns emerging in the wild Organizations are actively building agentic knowledge bases for AI agents. Here are six real-world approaches taking shape across the software industry.

How are organizations using agentic knowledge bases in practice? Today, my feature on @thenewstack.io looks at six emerging patterns.
thenewstack.io/agentic-know...

My report for the eBPF Foundation, "eBPF in Production," was published today. The 20-page report explores emerging deployment patterns for #eBPF, four original case studies, and a comprehensive look at tangible business outcomes.

📘 PDF: www.linuxfoundation.org/hubfs/eBPF/e...

10 strategies to reduce MCP token bloat Unrestrained use of MCP can quickly flood context windows. Experts share ten practical techniques to rein it in.

MCP servers can quickly drain context windows without the right guardrails. Thankfully, there are ways around this...

My latest feature with @thenewstack.io breaks down a number of practical techniques for reducing MCP token bloat.

thenewstack.io/how-to-reduc...

What CIOs in finance do to navigate AI agents As AI sweeps through every sector, some are held to a greater degree of scrutiny. Finance is one of them and CIOs across its institutions and systems work within narrow margins of error due to increas...

My latest for @cio.com looks at how CIOs are deploying agentic AI in finance. 🏦

Although AI agents feel like they’re everywhere, in finance and banking, the reality is more cautious and more deliberate than the hype suggests.

www.cio.com/article/4123...

How should AI agents consume external data? The jury’s out on screen scraping versus official APIs. And the truth is, any AI agent worth its salt will likely need a mixture of both.

To scrape or integrate? It's an age-old question resurfacing for AI agent builders.

My latest for @infoworld.bsky.social breaks down the upsides and caveats of both approaches — and when it actually makes sense to use each.

www.infoworld.com/article/4120...

Shipping nano updates in the AI era Are nano updates the missing link in your strategy?

What does it mean to go "nano" with your software updates — to "carve with a scalpel" instead of swinging a hammer?

My latest DirectorPlus edition with @leaddev.com interviews @chainguard.bsky.social VP Dustin Kirkland to find out.

leaddev.com/ai/shipping-...

Port of Context: The open source code mode The “better way to use MCP” just got open sourced.

Heavy MCP use can lead to flooded context windows, fast. My latest piece for @thenewstack.io looks at an interesting project aiming to address this problem: Port of Context.

One of the big downsides of AI is decreasing quality and slop in open source contributions. I have a lot of respect for Daniel Steinberg, and I'm sure the decision wasn't taken lightly!

LiveCast: API Standards for AI Agents | Nordic APIs Our LiveCast on API standards and AI agents explores how core API and open web standards enable accurate, reliable, and safe agent behavior.

Excited for this @nordicapis.com chat tomorrow with Kin Lane, Lorna Mitchell, and Kevin Swiber on the role of API standards in agentic AI.

Come join us in real-time, or wait til the recording is posted. Registration and information are here. ⬇️

nordicapis.com/events/api-s...

AI doesn't create great developers, it amplifies them Research from GitClear suggests the best devs benefit the most when using AI coding tools.

As it turns out, the engineers seeing the biggest gains from AI were top performers all along.
@billharding.bsky.social @leaddev.com
leaddev.com/ai/ai-doesnt...

Edge AI: The future of AI inference is smarter local compute Smaller models, lightweight frameworks, specialized hardware, and other innovations are bringing AI out of the cloud and into clients, servers, and devices on the edge of the network.

Edge AI is gaining new importance as the industry shifts from training to inference. My feature on @infoworld.bsky.social today digs into edge AI, and why tech leaders are betting on it for reduced cost, better privacy, and lower latency.
www.infoworld.com/article/4117...

The State of MCP — Survey Report How teams are really adopting MCP. Practical findings on security tradeoffs and production readiness, plus the patterns shaping what comes next.

The State of #MCP report from @zuplo.com has some good nuggets...

• 72% of adopters expect MCP usage to increase

• 40% expect it to account for a quarter to half of their AI tool usage

• 70% of devs have 2-7 MCP servers configured, often for context engineering use cases

zuplo.com/mcp-report

6 incredibly hyped software trends that failed to deliver In hindsight, what were we thinking?

Blockchain for everything, metaverse, big data, NFTs... In hindsight, what were we thinking? Today, I call out some of tech's biggest overhyped trends on @infoworld.bsky.social.
www.infoworld.com/article/4109...

Is Agentic Metadata the Next Infrastructure Layer? If you're building AI agents, you're probably sitting on a lot of untapped data. Experts share how to put it to use.

AI agents are producing a spectrum of metadata behind the scenes that some are calling a "gold mine" to direct continual improvements.

My latest deep dive for @thenewstack.io explores the types of agentic metadata and how to put it to use.

thenewstack.io/is-agentic-m...

Hard-won lessons on building and scaling ML models How small teams can deploy highly adaptable autonomous systems.

"Build the machine that builds the machine." 🦾
If you're an engineering leader in AI/ML or robotics, this one's for you. Great insights from Bedrock Robotics' CTO, Kevin Peterson, in the latest DirectorPlus via @leaddev.com.
leaddev.com/ai/hard-won-...

10 AI-Driven API Economy Predictions for 2026 | Nordic APIs | Explore 2026 predictions on how AI agents, MCP standards, authorization, and new API models will reshape the AI-driven API economy.

What will 2026 hold for AI and APIs? I left ten predictions here on @nordicapis.com... 🔮
nordicapis.com/10-ai-driven...

How Do You Create a Great Conference Speaker Pitch? | Nordic APIs | Learn how to craft a strong conference speaker pitch with clear themes, specific angles, and actionable takeaways to boost your CFP success.

What goes into a strong tech conference abstract? I put together some tips in this article to help speakers craft solid pitches.
nordicapis.com/how-do-you-c...

10 MCP servers for devops Tap these Model Context Protocol servers to supercharge your AI-assisted coding tools with powerful devops automation capabilities.

Here's a look at 10 MCP servers for devops on @infoworld.bsky.social.

See what's possible with MCP servers from GitHub, Notion, Atlassian, Argo CD, Grafana, Terraform, GitLab, Snyk, AWS, Pulumi, and others.

Much is still experimental, but the potential is big.

www.infoworld.com/article/4096...

MCP: What API Providers Need to Know YouTube video by Nordic APIs

My talk from @nordicapis.com Platform Summit 2025 is now live on YouTube!

I give a broad overview of what MCP is, how it works, examples of MCP servers, and early best practices for API-first teams.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwMt...

The wait is over. Rewatch 50+ industry-leading talks on this year's most important API topics. 🎉 Mic drop. 🎤

Watch here: bit.ly/3KoOcaI

#PlatformSummit #PlatformSummit2025

Platform Summit 2025 - YouTube Speaker sessions, keynotes, and panels from Platform Summit 2025, Nordic APIs' flagship yearly event in Stockholm, which brings together leading API industry...

Big news — @nordicapis.com just dropped over 60 incredible speaker sessions, keynotes, and panels from Platform Summit 2025 🎉 🎤.

Give them a watch here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Open source is a talent strategy Says Manik Surtani, head of open source at Block.

Contributing to the open source ecosystem is much more than altruism — it's a smart strategy with real business benefits.

Check out the latest DirectorPlus via @leaddev.com, featuring great insights from Manik Surtani, Block's head of open source!

leaddev.com/hiring/open-...

A CIO's 5-point checklist to drive positive AI ROI Follow this multi-point checklist on effective change management to get results trending upward.

MIT reports that 95% of genAI initiatives don't produce a successful return. So — how do you actually get ROI from an AI initiative? My feature on @cio.com today explores how CIOs are driving this.
www.cio.com/article/4095...

Anatomy of an AI agent knowledge base For AI agents, a knowledge base fuels fast and accurate responses and enables complex reasoning. We asked the experts how to build one.

What makes a solid knowledge base for AI agents? My latest for @infoworld.bsky.social picks it apart.
www.infoworld.com/article/4091...

How LinkedIn built an AI hiring agent To make AI agents sustainable for the long haul, engineering leaders need to keep users at the forefront of design.

Putting users in the driver's seat is critical for building trust in AI agents. LinkedIn VP of engineering Prashanthi Padmanabhan shares a peek at their latest AI agent development for my latest DirectorPlus edition with @leaddev.com:

leaddev.com/ai/how-linke...

What are some great MCP servers for devops that folks are using?