Join us at the Chicago Cloud Computing Meetup on Thursday, October 8, 2026, where Sam Basu, Microsoft MVP and Lead Developer Advocate at Uno Platform, will present “Developer Workflows in AI Age - Local or Cloud”. Generating code is easy. Building software still takes knowledge, context, and process, and this session is an honest look at what agentic development workflows look like in practice.

I’ve known Sam for many years, and he has a long history of building developer tools and advocating for modern development platforms. I’m excited to have him share his insights on how developers can embrace AI in their workflows, whether running models locally or in the cloud, and how to validate AI’s work effectively.

I’m also very appreciative of Uno Platform for sponsoring this event and providing Lou Malnati’s pizza for our group. Uno Platform is a great example of a modern development platform that embraces cross-platform development and AI tools.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, October 8, 2026
• Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM CDT
• Location: Microsoft Chicago Office (Aon Center), 200 E Randolph St, Suite 200, Chicago, IL 60601

Presentation

Developer Workflows in AI Age - Local or Cloud

AI is dramatically changing how we build software, but context and fundamentals still matter. Developers need the right guardrails to make agentic workflows work the right way, and there are decision points at every step:

• Run AI models in the cloud or locally
• Choices in agentic harness
• IDE, terminal, or browser workflows
• Spec out project details or build ad hoc
• Bridging the gap between design and code
• Prescriptive guidance through skills
• Delegating work with sub-agents
• A squad of agents with varying responsibilities
• Pitching agents against each other
• Bringing grounded context with MCP servers
• How to validate AI’s work

Sam will lead an honest conversation about these tradeoffs and demonstrate real-world AI-powered workflows. Modern development stacks should provide tooling to embrace agentic workflows, regardless of where developers sit on the AI adoption spectrum. With contextual expertise lighting up AI-human loops, the right guardrails can make developers ultra productive with AI.

Speaker: Sam Basu

Sam Basu is a technologist, author, speaker, Microsoft MVP, and Lead Developer Advocate for Uno Platform. With a long developer background, he now spends much of his time advocating modern development platforms and AI tools for cross-platform technology stacks. His spare time calls for travel, fast cars, cricket, and culinary adventures. You can find him writing at Modern Developer Ramblings.

Event Highlights

• Compare running AI models locally versus in the cloud, and understand when each makes sense
• See how agentic harnesses, IDEs, terminals, and browser workflows fit together
• Learn how skills, sub-agents, and MCP servers bring guardrails and grounded context to AI work
• Explore practical approaches to validating what AI produces
• Watch live demos of real-world AI-powered development workflows
• Network with fellow cloud and AI professionals in the Chicago area

Registration and Building Security

Registration required: Please include your full first and last name when you register. Building security at the Aon Center requires this information to grant you access.

Register here: RSVP on Meetup

About the Meetup

The Chicago Cloud Computing Meetup brings together developers, architects, and IT professionals interested in cloud technologies. Our meetings feature presentations on cloud platforms, best practices, and emerging trends in cloud and AI, along with time for networking and community building.