Two Voice Devs

Hosted by Mark and Allen

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275

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Mark and Allen talk about the latest news in the VoiceFirst world from a developer point of view.

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60 recent

June 11, 2026Episode 27415 min

Project Solara: Welcome to Agent-First Hardware

After months of conferences and busy schedules, Mark Tucker and Allen Firstenberg return to discuss Microsoft’s surprising Build conference announcement: Project Solara. Moving from the legacy voice-first consumer world of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, Microsoft is pioneering a secure, business-focused "Agent-first" platform.In this episode, we unpack Microsoft's two new concept devices, a desktop smart display and a wearable camera-equipped badge, and explore the Android Open Source Project (AOSP)-based platform behind them: the Microsoft Device Ecosystem Platform (MDEP). We discuss how Project Solara integrates enterprise security standards like Intune, Windows Hello for Business, and Entra ID to allow agents to act on behalf of authenticated users. We also dive into the future-proof promise of "Just In Time UI" (Generative UI) which dynamically adapts interfaces to any form factor, and explore how these agentic tools could liberate deskless workers from being "slaves to a slab of glass."More Info:* https://commandline.microsoft.com/project-solara-build-2026/Timestamps:[00:00:00] Intro & Catching Up[00:00:49] Transitioning from Voice-First (Alexa/Assistant) to Agent-First[00:01:35] Designing for Echo Show and Google Assistant vs. GenAI[00:02:37] Project Solara: Custom Agentic Devices for Business[00:03:09] Google Glass & the Early Spark for Enterprise Use Cases[00:04:30] Smart Displays and Wearable Badge Concept Hardware[00:05:12] Built on Android (AOSP) vs. Google's Android XR[00:05:46] Security: Microsoft MDEP, Intune, and Alexa for Business[00:07:10] Bring Your Own Agent (BYOA) on Azure[00:08:41] Just-In-Time UI & Generative UI[00:12:09] Developer Availability and Future Outlook[00:13:26] Rethinking Computers: Lessons from Google Glass & Assistant[00:14:32] Wrap Up and Future Form Factors (Watches, Rings, Glasses)#ProjectSolara #MicrosoftBuild #AgentFirst #VoiceFirst #MDEP #GenerativeUI #GenUI #AOSP #BYOA #EnterpriseTech #TwoVoiceDevsEpisode 274

June 4, 2026Episode 27319 min

New Horizons for Android: XR, MCP, and Agents

Allen and Mike record live from Google I/O in the Builders podcast space. They discuss their impressions of this year's conference, the evolution of I/O over the years, and the big announcements from the keynote. Key topics include Gemini's "any output from any input" vision, how the new NanoBanana and Omni models are different than Imagen and Veo, the state of Android XR development, and the introduction of App Functions (Android MCP) for better AI agent integration. They also share their thoughts on the new Gemini app UI and what they hope to see in the world of wearables by next year.More info:* Android XR Developer Program: https://developer.android.com/develop/xr/catalyst[00:00:11] Live from Google I/O Builders Podcast Space[00:00:37] Reflections on I/O over the years[00:02:01] Gemini's "Any Input to Any Output" Vision[00:02:54] What's the big deal with NanoBanana and Omni?[00:03:41] Android XR and the future of intelligent eyewear[00:06:02] New Android developer tools and AI coding agents[00:08:29] App Functions and Android MCP[00:13:08] Spark, Halo, and AI agents on Android[00:15:07] The new Gemini app UI and design feedback[00:17:26] Looking ahead: Hopes for I/O 2027 and wearables#GoogleIO #GeminiAI #AndroidXR #AndroidMCP #AppFunctions #GoogleGlass #TwoVoiceDevs #AIAgents #AndroidDev #Wearables #AppFunctions #NanoBanana #GeminiOmni

May 28, 2026Episode 27219 min

Google I/O 2026: GenUI, Glass, and Android XR

Allen and Noble are live from Google I/O! This episode breaks down the biggest keynote news: agentic coding in Search, the power of Generative UI, and the future of "intelligent eyewear." They share what these changes mean for the venerable Google Search, what works (and what doesn't) with the new Google Glass, and how Android XR fits into the picture. From wearable AI to interactive search, find out what's here and what's coming this fall.More info:* Agentic Coding in Search: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/search-io-2026/#agentic-coding* Android XR Developer Program: https://developer.android.com/develop/xr/catalyst[00:00:00] Introduction from Google I/O[00:01:32] Agentic Coding in Google Search[00:04:00] Generative UI: Beyond the Chatbot[00:08:19] The Three Pillars: Models, Coding, and Agents[00:11:00] Intelligent Eyewear and the Return of Glass[00:13:09] Hands-on with the AI Sandbox[00:15:44] The Human Impact of Real-Time Translation[00:16:47] Android XR and the Developer Experience[00:18:36] Developer Opportunities and Early Access#GoogleIO #IO26 #AndroidXR #GeminiAI #GenerativeUI #GoogleGlass #IntelligentEyewear #GoogleSearch #AgenticAI #TechPodcast #TwoVoiceDevs #AI #IOCreatorStudio #GoogleForDevelopersEpisode 272

May 14, 2026Episode 27118 min

Live from Next 2026: The Year of the Agent

Allen and Alice are on the ground at Google Cloud Next, breaking down the biggest shifts in the AI landscape. This episode explores the transition from focusing on models to building agents with the launch of the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. They discuss the new TPU v8 hardware, the power of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for Workspace integration, and how tools like Workspace Studio are making agent development accessible to everyone. Plus, a look at the incredible AI-powered Wizard of Oz experience at the Sphere!Timestamps:[00:00:12] Live from Day Two of Google Cloud Next[00:01:13] New Hardware: TPU v8 for Training and Inference[00:02:53] Gemini's Current State and Future Models[00:04:27] Vertex AI Rebrands as Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform[00:06:14] Building Reliable Agents: Identity, Registry, and Observability[00:07:18] Powering Agents with Model Context Protocol (MCP)[00:11:06] Workspace Studio: Automation for Everyone[00:15:00] Immersive Experiences at the Sphere[00:17:12] Final Thoughts and Where to FollowHashtags:#GoogleCloudNext #Gemini #AIAgents #VertexAI #TPU #MCP #WorkspaceStudio#TwoVoiceDevs #GenAI #QueenOfSpreadsheets

March 5, 2026Episode 27049 min

Episode 270 - Beyond the Big Three: Open Models, Agents, & the Future of Devs

In part two of this insightful conversation, Allen and Sam Witteveen dive deep into the rapidly expanding world of AI models beyond the "big three." They explore the impact of open-weight and Chinese models like DeepSeek, Mistral, and Qwen, discussing their impressive efficiency and coding capabilities. The conversation shifts to the rise of agentic workflows and how tools like Claude Code are fundamentally changing the day-to-day lives of developers.They also tackle the tough questions: Are junior developers being replaced? Is AI just the next level of abstraction in programming? Finally, they cover the enterprise side of AI, from on-premise deployments to the evolving landscape of prompt engineering and observability frameworks like LangChain.Timestamps:[00:00:00] Introduction[00:00:49] Exploring Open Weights and Chinese Models[00:03:41] The Value of "Thinking" Models and Distillation[00:06:41] Running Models Locally[00:08:34] The Shift Towards Agentic Workflows[00:12:17] How AI is Changing the Role of Developers[00:29:04] AI as the Next Level of Abstraction[00:35:00] Best Models for Tool Calling and Coding[00:39:04] On-Premise Models and Enterprise Solutions[00:44:49] The Future of Prompt Engineering and LangChain[00:48:37] Outro and Where to Find SamHashtags:#TwoVoiceDevs #AI #OpenWeights #DeepSeek #Mistral #Qwen #ClaudeCode #Gemini #LangChain #SoftwareEngineering #AgenticAI #MachineLearning

March 3, 2026Episode 26937 min

Episode 269 - The "Big Three" AI Models and Training Evolution

In Part 1 of a two-part series, guest host Sam Witteveen joins Allen to catch up and dive deep into the rapidly evolving world of AI models. Sam shares his fascinating journey from being a successful pop songwriter to becoming a Machine Learning Google Developer Expert (GDE) and running the massive Machine Learning Singapore meetup.The conversation shifts to the latest AI developments, exploring the "Big Three" model builders—Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google. Sam and Allen discuss the frenetic pace of new model releases, changes to the Gemini 3 API, and how developers navigate the trade-offs between intelligence, latency, and cost.Finally, they pull back the curtain on how these models are actually trained today. Discover why models are no longer trying to be "fact machines" and how post-training breakthroughs, code execution sandboxes, and Reinforcement Learning (RL) environments are dramatically improving AI capabilities. Stay tuned for the end of the episode, where they hint at what's coming in Part 2!Timestamps:[00:00:00] Introduction and catching up[00:01:33] Sam's fascinating journey from pop music to machine learning[00:05:23] Running the massive Machine Learning Singapore meetup[00:07:42] Stumbling into YouTube and teaching AI with Google Colab[00:12:38] Analyzing the "Big Three" AI models and rapid release cycles[00:17:52] Gemini 3 API updates, Flash models, and thinking levels[00:22:00] Tool use, knowledge cutoffs, and why LLMs aren't fact machines[00:26:00] How post-training and code sandboxes revolutionized AI[00:32:00] Scaling Reinforcement Learning (RL) environments for design[00:34:04] Structured outputs and the return to predictable rules[00:36:43] Tune in next time for more! And where to find Sam onlineHashtags:#TwoVoiceDevs #AI #MachineLearning #DeepLearning #LLM #GoogleGemini #Gemini #OpenAI #ChatGPT #Anthropic #Claude #ReinforcementLearning #RAG #Developers #SamWitteveen

February 19, 2026Episode 26418 min

Episode 268 - The New @langchain/google Package

Allen has been busy! This week, he unveils the new `@langchain/google` package for LangChain JS. This major update consolidates five previous libraries into a single, standardized, and powerful tool for developers working with Gemini and Vertex AI. Allen walks Mark through the motivation behind the change, the focus on backward compatibility, and the exciting new features like simplified multimodal input/output and text-to-speech support. If you're building with Google AI and JavaScript, this is the update you've been waiting for.[00:00:57] The confusion of previous packages[00:02:52] Creating a unified package[00:03:45] Introducing @langchain/google[00:04:35] Backward compatibility[00:06:48] Multimodal inputs[00:07:54] Standardizing output and image generation[00:08:58] Text-to-Speech support[00:11:29] Simplifying parameters and reasoning[00:14:55] Future roadmap#LangChain #Gemini #NanoBanana #TextToSpeech #GoogleAI #JavaScript #TypeScript #VertexAI #OpenSource #AI #WebDevelopment #TwoVoiceDevs

February 6, 2026Episode 26736 min

Episode 267 - Behind the Scenes: How We Use AI to Build Two Voice Devs

Ever wonder how "Two Voice Devs" goes from a raw recording to a finished episode? In this episode, Allen Firstenberg takes Mark Tucker on a deep dive into his production workflow. They discuss how Descript’s text-based editing revolutionized their process, how Allen uses a custom Gemini CLI agent to automate show notes and descriptions, and the technical (and ethical!) journey of creating AI-generated thumbnails using Google's Nano Banana. It’s a candid look at how AI can act as a force multiplier for creators while keeping the "human in the loop."[00:00:01] Introduction and Check-in[00:01:27] Behind the Scenes: Why We Use AI[00:03:42] Descript: Text-Based Video Editing[00:05:24] Building a Knowledge Database from Transcripts[00:08:13] Editing Video Like a Document[00:12:34] Exploring Descript's AI[00:13:36] Automating Show Notes with Gemini CLI[00:14:10] The Power of System Instructions (GEMINI.md)[00:19:30] AI Thumbnail Generation with Nano Banana[00:26:10] The Ethics of Synthetic Media and Artistic Style[00:28:40] Keeping the Human in the Loop[00:33:00] Evolution of the Two Voice Devs Workflow#TwoVoiceDevs #PodcastProduction #GeminiAI #Descript #GeminiCLI #NanoBanana #Automation #ContentCreation #Ethics #GenerativeAI #AIWorkflow #PodcastEditing

January 29, 2026Episode 26643 min

Episode 266 - Supercharging Your AI Agent with Skills

Mark and Allen dive into the emerging world of Agent Skills, an open standard for extending the capabilities of AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and Gemini CLI. They explore how these skills work, how they compare to the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and walk through creating and installing a custom skill using the `skills` CLI. They also discuss the skills.sh website by Vercel, which acts as a registry and leaderboard for the ecosystem. The conversation touches on the potential for standardization, the current fragmentation in the ecosystem, and critical security considerations for these powerful new tools.More Info:* https://agentskills.io* https://skills.sh* https://cra.mr/mcp-skills-and-agents[00:00:00] Introduction & Context: AI Agents and Tools[00:02:18] Getting Information into Context (Instructions files)[00:06:50] What are Agent Skills? (AgentSkills.io)[00:09:55] Agent Skills vs. MCP Servers[00:16:35] How Skills Work: Progressive Disclosure[00:19:50] Mark's Example: List Global NPM Skill[00:22:56] Installing Skills with skill.sh and the Skills CLI[00:26:55] Demo: Installing on GitHub Copilot[00:30:58] Demo: Installing on Gemini CLI[00:37:37] Discussion: Discovery, Standardization, and Security[00:43:05] Conclusion#AgentSkills #AI #GitHubCopilot #GeminiCLI #CodingAssistants #MCP #ModelContextProtocol #DeveloperTools #TwoVoiceDevs

January 23, 2026Episode 26524 min

Episode 265 - Gemini's New Personal Intelligence: A Second Brain?

Allen and Mike discuss Google's new "Personal Intelligence" feature for Gemini. They explore how it connects to your personal data like Photos, Gmail, and Docs to provide context-aware answers. The conversation covers real-world use cases, privacy concerns regarding training data, and the importance of transparency and granular control in AI systems. They also touch on the "blackmail" scenario found in other AI research and what developers can learn from Google's implementation.More Info:* https://blog.google/innovation-and-ai/products/gemini-app/personal-intelligence/[00:00:30] Google's Gemini Personal Intelligence announcement[00:01:48] Connecting personal data sources to Gemini[00:03:45] Google's unique advantage with user data[00:06:40] Real-world use case: Tracking travel history[00:07:30] Potential use case: Combining health data sources[00:09:15] Privacy: Is your data used for training?[00:12:40] The debate: Opting in vs. privacy concerns[00:16:30] AI safety and the "blackmail" scenario[00:18:50] Lessons for developers: Granular permissions and transparency[00:20:30] Verifiability and user trust[00:23:50] Conclusion#Gemini #GoogleAI #PersonalIntelligence #Privacy #MachineLearning #Developer #TechPodcast #AI #TwoVoiceDevs