Scott & Mark Learn To...100 Duck-Sized Horses

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore new AI security research revealing how smaller, unrestricted models can leverage more powerful AI systems to complete tasks those systems would normally refuse. Mark breaks down the research, its surprising results, and the potential security risks of AI models working together without understanding the bigger picture. Plus, Scott shares his approach to managing multiple AI agents, and the two discuss the challenges of keeping AI-powered development secure and efficient.    Takeaways:     Why breaking complex tasks into smaller pieces creates new AI security risks  How Scott uses AI agents to manage development tasks and reduce workload  What Mark’s latest research reveals about vulnerabilities in AI systems    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich try something new as Mark reacts to TikTok videos exploring the decline of reading, shrinking attention spans, and the impact of AI on critical thinking. What starts as a lighthearted experiment turns into a deeper debate about technology, education, and what it means to be human in an AI-driven world.     Takeaways:     How social media is changing our attention spans and reading habits  Why critical thinking matters in an AI-driven world  The risks of relying too heavily on AI to think for us    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich dive into Mark’s new SemanticStart project, exploring how semantic search can make finding Windows apps, tools, and settings more intuitive. Along the way, they experiment with AI-assisted coding, discuss how agents could interact with local tools, and debate a bigger question: does prompting an AI actually count as programming?    Takeaways:     How semantic search combines keywords, embeddings, and enriched data  Why AI is changing the way developers build and prototype software  Whether prompting an AI should actually be considered programming.    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts 

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich dive into the security risks surrounding increasingly capable open-weight AI models and Mark’s latest research into a new defense called Fool’s Gold. Mark explains how safety guardrails can be removed from open models and explores an alternative approach: training models to provide convincing but deliberately flawed information when those protections are bypassed. They discuss how the technique works, whether it affects legitimate model behavior, and what it could mean for the future of AI safety as open models continue to advance.  Takeaways:     Why open-weight AI models can create new security risks  How Mark’s Fool’s Gold approach uses decoy responses as a defense decoy responses as a defense  Techniques that can protect against harmful use without degrading normal model performance  Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts   

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore when to let AI solve a problem and when figuring it out is half the fun. They celebrate 30 years of Sysinternals by looking back at how the tools have evolved and how AI is changing software engineering and troubleshooting. Along the way, they debate efficiency versus learning by doing and consider a future where tools may increasingly be built for AI rather than humans.     Takeaways:     How Sysinternals has evolved over the past 30 years  How AI is changing software engineering and troubleshooting  Why future developer tools may be designed for AI, not humans    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    Produced by Hangar Studios

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich talk about gaming, from the countless hours they’ve spent playing over the years to why they gravitate toward very different types of games. Scott makes the case for immersive single-player experiences like Crimson Desert, while Mark explains why Battlefield is his go-to for switching his brain off. Along the way, the conversation turns to the future of AAA games, AI-generated content, and whether knowing something was created by AI changes how we value it.    Takeaways:     Different games serve different purposes for each player   Can AI-generated games deliver the same value as something created primarily by people  Does knowing the work and craftsmanship behind a game changes the experience  Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    Produced by Hangar Studios

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore how AI is rapidly changing the way software is built, from acting as a true research assistant to generating production-ready code and even helping write academic papers. They debate whether AI deserves credit for its work, discuss the future of developer tools like CLI vs. GUI and MCPs, and dive into creative AI projects like generating custom Doom levels from simple prompts. The conversation wraps with a thoughtful discussion about AI-generated art, creativity, and where human craftsmanship still matters most.     Takeaways:     Human judgment is still essential, even when AI does most of the implementation  AI is evolving from a coding assistant into a genuine research collaborator  The industry hasn't settled how AI contributions should be credited  Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    Produced by Hangar Studios

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore Mark's latest AI-assisted coding project: bringing the iconic Sysinternals Process Explorer to macOS. They discuss how AI dramatically accelerated development, where human expertise was still essential, and why building reliable software still requires careful iteration, debugging, and judgment. Along the way, they compare Windows and macOS internals and examine what these advances mean for the future of software development.    ZoomIt for Mac is now available here: Sysinternals ZoomIt for MacOS.    Takeaways:     What it took to bring Process Explorer to macOS  Key differences between Windows and macOS system tools.  Practical lessons for building with AI effectively    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts  Produced by Hangar Studios

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich explore the realities of vibe coding by walking through a few of Mark's recent AI-assisted projects, including Polypost, a tool for writing and formatting social media posts and a nearly feature-complete Mac version of ZoomIt. They discuss where AI excels, where it still struggles, and why building software has become less about writing code and more about guiding, testing, and refining an AI collaborator. Along the way, they share lessons on prompt engineering, user experience, debugging, and why human judgment remains essential even as AI accelerates development.    Polypost — multi-platform post editor    Takeaways:     Successful AI development still relies on human decision-making  Mark shares the challenges and wins of building Polypost with AI  The iterative process of prompting, testing, and refining that turns AI-generated code into production-quality software    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    Produced by Hangar Studios

In this episode, Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich pull back the curtain on Microsoft's Build conference with a look at the cutting room floor of Mark's Inside Azure Innovations breakout session. They explore fascinating technologies that didn't make the final presentation, including AI-powered network repair agents, advanced data center cooling systems, supply chain security innovations, prompt injection defenses, and groundbreaking approaches to cloud infrastructure. Along the way, they discuss how major technology presentations are assembled, the challenge of choosing what to showcase, and the incredible engineering work happening behind the scenes at Microsoft.    See the innovations that did make the final cut in the recording of Mark’s Inside Azure Innovations talk at Microsoft Build 2026: Inside Azure Innovations with Mark Russinovich.    Takeaways:     How Mark decides what innovations make it into major conference presentations  New technologies and tools being used to manage cloud infrastructure at scale  Why some of the most interesting innovations never make it onto the conference stage    Who are they?      View Scott Hanselman on LinkedIn   View Mark Russinovich on LinkedIn      Watch Scott and Mark Learn on YouTube          Listen to other episodes at scottandmarklearn.to             Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts    Produced by Hangar Studios