84% of devs use AI. Only 33% trust it. Why are we pretending this is fine?

Jason Baum, Project Leadership at Selenium, is here to say what most won’t: AI is creating as many problems as it solves. Development is faster, sure, but the cost is rising. More bugs. More hallucinations, too. Teams are losing time chasing the promise of AI without fixing the foundation it runs on.

In this episode, Jason and Nicky get real about the AI productivity paradox—why developers are feeling slower and what teams can do to get quality back on track without tossing the whole tech out the window.

If you’ve been asking yourself, “Am I actually building faster or just debugging more?” this is the reset you need.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why senior devs are the most skeptical AI users
2. How AI is shifting the definition of “quality” in code
3. What it takes to turn AI into a teammate instead of a time sink

Things to listen for: 

(00:00) Meet Jason Baum

(01:19) Developers are using AI they don’t fully trust

(03:15) How hype outpaced AI’s actual capabilities

(05:59) The AI calculator analogy: helpful, but dangerous without skill

(08:47) Is AI improving or breaking software quality?

(11:03) The real purpose of “vibe coding” tools

(13:15) Why senior developers are wary of AI’s output

(18:45) Critical context: What AI still can’t grasp in code

(22:45) The rise of citizen developers using AI tools

(25:05) Risks and realities of using MCPs with LLMs

(31:20) Can AI-driven testing really catch what matters in code?

(34:08) Why AI is better at analyzing tests than writing them

(39:25) Why most AI projects fail before they even start

(45:12) Preserving developer intuition and problem-solving in the AI era

(51:02) Final thoughts: where developer-AI collaboration goes next

Resources:
Jason Baum's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonebaum/
Selenium website: https://www.selenium.dev/

Is your local machine lying to you?

Ben Potter, VP of Product at Coder, gets real about why AI agents aren’t living up to their potential without the right infrastructure. Developers and platform teams are dealing with bloated systems and inconsistent environments, but the real problem is a missing layer. In this episode, we uncover the key to making AI work: a development stack that’s secure, scalable, and reliable.

If you’re tired of wrestling with broken dev environments and want AI to make more sense in your workflows, this episode’s for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
The real reason AI agents aren’t living up to their hype
How to create a secure and scalable AI development stack
Why your current environment setup is holding you back from AI success

Things to listen for:
(00:00) Meet Ben Potter
(02:40) How AI is evolving from assistant to teammate in workflows
(05:03) The Waymo vs. Tesla analogy for agentic AI
(10:06) The risks of AI in enterprisess
(17:11) Ephemeral environments are crucial for AI agents
(22:32) Why enterprises are spending over a million dollars on AI yearly
(28:07) How the right infrastructure lets developers use AI as a reliable tool
(33:07) Rapid prototyping with AI in product management
(37:12) Why “agents are hired, not built”
(44:45) AI agents working together: teamwork or chaos?
(46:07) How boundaries enable agents and AI to work together
(57:38) Will agentic AI ship code by 2026?

Resources:
Ben Potter's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bpmct/
Coder website: https://coder.com/

Drowning in a sea of tools and productivity hacks that don’t deliver? You’re not alone. 

I’m Nicky Pike. And it’s time for a reset.

[Dev]olution is here to help you get back to what matters: creating, solving, and making an impact. No trend chasing, just asking better questions.

We explore the real systems and processes that help developers work smarter, not harder. No buzzwords, just practical strategies to streamline your workflow, avoid bottlenecks, and make the most of your development environment.

Whether you’re working solo or with a team, you’ll get an honest look at what’s working in dev productivity and what’s happening next in the industry.

Get ready to join the [Dev]olution.