AI Evolution: Innovations and AgentCon 2025

Episode 8

Author

Nicholas Chang
June 15, 2025

Microsoft Build Highlights: AI & Innovation

Following the excitement of Microsoft Build, Azure AI Foundry has taken center stage. Major updates are summarised below, but you can find more details in the Book of News

Azure AI Foundry Updates

  • Foundry Local: Bring AI workloads to Windows and macOS without constant cloud dependency.

  • Expanded Model Access: Access new cutting-edge models, including Grok 3, Flux Pro 1.1, and Sora via Azure OpenAI (preview).

  • Agentic Retrieval in Azure AI Search: A premium feature for AI agents, enabling smarter, context-aware query strategies.

  • Enhanced Developer Support: Foundry now integrates with GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps for seamless evaluation and deployment.

AgentCon: AI Together

This month featured AgentCon, an essential gathering for AI practitioners in the Global AI Community—similar to Global AI Bootcamp. Join the AI Agents World Tour, a global series of one-day events designed for developers building the future with AI agents. Find an event near your country here . AgentCon 2025

AgentCon 2025

Join us for the AI Agents World Tour, a global series of one-day conferences designed exclusively for developers building the future with autonomous AI agents. From San Francisco to Singapore, we're bringing together leading engineers, researchers, and cr

globalai.community/events/agentcon-2025

News and Recommendations

MCP for Azure DevOps

Recently there have been a release of Azure DevOps for MCP so you can now easily install the Azure DevOps MCP Server for your VS Code or VS Code Insiders. Check it out below https://github.com/microsoft/azure-devops-mcp

Visual Studio Code support MCP an update—it's a game-changer for building agent-i

This update is a game-changer for building agent-integrated experiences. https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_101

Azure AI Foundry for Visual Studio Code extension

You can now deploy your AI model using AI Foundry extension in visual studio code. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/how-to/develop/get-started-projects-vs-code


Deploy the latest language models from Microsoft, OpenAI, Meta, DeepSeek,

  • Test the deployed models in a model playground

  • Quickly get started with developing generative AI applications using a collection of Azure curated code templates

  • Configure and deploy agents with Azure AI Foundry Agent Service

Agentic DevOps - Agentic DevOps in action: Reimagining every phase of the developer lifecycle - Microsoft for Developers

Agentic DevOps

What if your dev tools could take the first pass at a feature, file a bug report, propose a fix—and deploy it? With Agentic DevOps and GitHub Copilot, they can. Here's how agents will reshape every step of the software development lifecycle.

devblogs.microsoft.com/blog/reimagining-every-phase-of-the-developer-lifecycle

Upcoming Events

There is an AgentCon happening in 2 weeks in Manchester in UK and I look forward to attending.

AgentCon 2025 - Manchester | Global AI Manchester

**Join us for the AI Agents World Tour, a global series of one-day conferences designed exclusively for developers building the future with AI agents.** This event is designed to help you and your organisation understand how to start, accelerate, and scal......

globalai.community/chapters/manchester/events/agentcon-2025-manchester

Community Highlights

Microsoft Azure Community User Group - The previous event of Microsoft Azure Community was last week with AI and IoT as the theme. it was an amazing session and recommed watching it online.

https://www.meetup.com/microsoft-azure-community/events/300811993/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events.

You can also watch it remotely here: Click to watch it remotely.

Call for Speakers 

Azure Back to School

This year Azure Back to school that is taking place September calls ofr speakers is out and you can register here https://sessionize.com/azure-back-to-school-2025 I will look forward to submitting a session here 🙂 

Azure Back to School

Learn from IT professionals across the globe with Azure Back to School. For the Community by the Community.

azurebacktoschool.com

Visual Studio Live! Las Vegas 2026

The Visual Studio Live! (VSLive!) conference is taking March 16th 2026 and the calls for speakers is already out and it is taking place in Las Vegas https://sessionize.com/vslive_LasVegas26

Experts Live Emirates 2025

This global conference network is dedicated to sharing knowledge and experiences around Microsoft technologies. If you’re an expert, this is your chance to shine! The call for speakers is open. https://sessionize.com/ELUAE25

Call for Papers - Azure Dev Summit | Lisbon 13 - 16 Oct 2025

Azure Dev Summit is a 4-Day Event for Software Developers, 13-16 Oct in Lisbon, Portugal.

azuredevsummit.com/call-for-papers

Microsoft Community Insights Podcasts

If you're an Azure professional with a story to share, someone with a unique use case, or just embarking on your cloud journey, we want to hear from you. https://sessionize.com/microsoft-community-insights/

Episode 32: "Women of Microsoft"
Featuring  Harshavardhan Bajoria, this episode highlights AI Innovation with Azure with

If you would like to come on my podcast, please remember to subscribe to my channel so you can get a reminder.

Course

GitHub - microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners: 10 Lessons to Get Started Building AI Agents

10 Lessons to Get Started Building AI Agents. Contribute to microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners development by creating an account on GitHub.

github.com/microsoft/ai-agents-for-beginners

GitHub - microsoft/mcp-for-beginners: This open-source curriculum is designed to teach the concepts and fundamentals of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), with practical examples in .NET, Java, TypeScript, JavaScript and Python.

This open-source curriculum is designed to teach the concepts and fundamentals of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), with practical examples in .NET, Java, TypeScript, JavaScript and Python. - micro...

github.com/microsoft/mcp-for-beginners

Other Resources

Work with the Azure AI Foundry for Visual Studio Code extension - Azure AI Foundry

Use this article to learn how to create projects and deploy Large Language Models using Azure AI Foundry capabilities directly in VS Code.

learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/ai-foundry/how-to/develop/get-started-projects-vs-code

The Azure Verified Modules (AVM) support statement has been updated to improve clarity and response times. Key changes include:

  • Bug & Security Issues: Response time increased from 3 to 5 business days for initial triage and ETA. If unresolved, the AVM core team steps in within another 5 business days.

  • Feature Requests: Now have a 15-business-day target for initial triage and response.

  • Escalation Process: Security issues may be handled by the Bicep or Terraform Product Groups if unresolved after additional time.

Github Copilot for Azure- Here is a list of helpful tips on how fully use it https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlrxD0HtieHgdwrN6ooxApdfBKTJK7465

Overview for the AI Toolkit for Visual Studio Code

The AI Toolkit for Visual Studio Code provides tools and access to a model catalog to help jump-start local AI development and deployment.

learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/ai/toolkit

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