MacVoices #26247: Adam Engst on How AI Lets Non-Programmers Follow Professional Software Development

Our conversation with Adam Engst continues with an exploration of  how AI can help non-programmers build sophisticated software by following professional development practices. Adam explains using specifications, architecture documents, and AI-guided decisions to create reliable apps, then examines the approach his app, SetShot, takes to macOS settings, privacy, security, user feedback, Cloudflare, GitHub, and minimizing sensitive data collection.

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Show Notes: Chapters:

00:00 Adam Engst on AI-assisted software development

00:11 Take Control Books

00:24 Learning to build software with AI

01:23 Professionalizing AI-assisted development

01:53 When a simple script doesn't need a specification

02:14 Why serious applications should start with a spec

02:55 Creating an architecture document with AI

03:31 Letting AI recommend technologies and explain tradeoffs

03:46 Why AI should ask one question at a time