Microsoft Developer presents John Maeda’s insights into the transition from AI models to AI agents, emphasizing the impact of lowered model costs and Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry.

Why is everyone suddenly talking about AI agents?

John Maeda discusses the recent shift in the AI field from a primary emphasis on building powerful machine learning models to the increasing prominence of AI agents. He explains that as the costs associated with deploying and running AI models decrease, this economic change paves the way for innovative applications—most notably, the emergence of intelligent agents that can act autonomously, complete more complex workflows, and participate as dynamic components in modern applications.

Key Points Covered

  • Shift from Models to Agents: While the previous season in AI was centered on training and using large-scale models, the current wave is about constructing agents—software entities that can perceive, decide, and act.
  • Impact of Lower Model Costs: Reduced costs are democratizing access to AI, allowing developers to leverage agents in ways that were previously cost-prohibitive.
  • Azure AI Foundry Mention: Azure AI Foundry is highlighted as a tool enabling broader access and orchestration of advanced AI workloads, supporting the development and deployment of AI agents on Microsoft Azure.
  • Industry Trends: The conversation reflects a growing trend in the tech industry to move from single-task AI applications toward more generalist, agent-based systems with multi-step reasoning and interaction abilities.

Resources

For developers and technical leaders, this video offers perspective on how Microsoft’s AI ecosystem is evolving, and the practical implications as AI agents become more central in application architectures.