Ai

Microsoft Build is a two-day event this year (after being three days in prior years). That’s in line with the overall smaller Build - fewer attendees, smaller venue, and fewer days. There was no day 2 keynote either. For me, day 2 was full of breakout sessions, a hands-on lab, and great conversations with Microsoft and GitHub employees.

I attended Microsoft Build in person on June 2, 2026. Below are my observations from day one. I’ll post a day-two update, as well as a wrap-up after the event.

It seems increasingly clear that Semantic Kernel is where Microsoft is investing for building modern, robust AI applications. In fact, Microsoft has stated as much: “Semantic Kernel (is) central to Microsoft’s enterprise AI story”.

In typical Microsoft fashion, they offer several seemingly competing options for developers to choose from, such as AutoGen, Microsoft.Extensions.AI, and probably a few others I’m forgetting right now. This variety doesn’t make it any easier for .NET developers to figure out where to get started and where to focus their upskilling efforts.

Microsoft Build 2025 centered on the future of intelligent agent-based applications. This post recaps my four-day experience in Seattle attending Build, covering keynotes, developer sessions, GitHub Copilot updates, .NET Aspire insights, and hands-on labs. Get a firsthand look at emerging trends and tools shaping how we build AI-powered solutions in the Microsoft ecosystem.