The Most Important Developer Skill in the AI Age Isn't Coding
Everyone's talking about how AI is transforming coding. How agents can generate thousands of lines in minutes.
#AI
#Career
§ 01 — Field Notes, Rev. 2026.05
Will Macdonald
MedTech Advisor · Chicago, IL · AI on the Line
Notes from the seam between AI models and the workflows they get bolted onto. Mostly manufacturing and healthcare. Mostly what breaks in the second month, after the demo is over.
§ 02
Field notes.
LinkedIn — Recent posts
Why Regulatory & Quality Is the Gating Function for AI in MedTech — And Why That's a Strategic Advantage
There are two AI waves reshaping MedTech right now — and most of the conversation focuses on the wrong one. Wave 1: ML/DL "in the device" This is the wave that gets the headlines.
#AI
#MedTech
I Built My Own Second Brain. Here's What I Actually Learned.
Every productivity system eventually fails the same way. You're in the middle of something — a meeting, a walk, a conversation — and a thought surfaces.
#AI
Six Big Shifts in AI Over the Last Year — And What They Mean for MedTech SaaS Providers
The last twelve months have been the most disorienting stretch in AI since the original ChatGPT launch — and I think six structural shifts emerged from the noise that every medtech SaaS provider should be paying attention to: Frameworks ate prompting The human-AI boundary moved Development taught us
#AI
#MedTech
Six Big Shifts in AI Over the Last Year — And What They Mean for MedTech SaaS Providers
Last week I argued that the model is commodity and the harness is moat — that the engineering wrapped around the AI matters more than the model itself. That's the first of six structural shifts every medtech SaaS provider needs to internalize: Frameworks ate prompting The human-AI boundary moved Dev
#AI
#MedTech
Six Big Shifts in AI Over the Last Year — And What They Mean for MedTech SaaS Providers
Last week I argued that the human-AI boundary is finding its level domain by domain — and that "Judgment with AI" is the operating model that wins in medtech. Today we're on the third shift, and it's the one with the biggest structural implication for every function in your customers' organizations
#AI
#MedTech
The Two-Step: How HTML and the CLI Came Back, Then Got Replaced Again
I keep noticing the same pattern in AI tooling, and it doesn't quite match how the story usually gets told. Yes, markdown gave way back to HTML, and the GUI IDE gave way back to the CLI.
#AI
Six Big Shifts in AI Over the Last Year — And What They Mean for MedTech SaaS Providers
Last week I argued that development spent thirty years building exactly the discipline AI needs — and that medtech SaaS platforms can sell that discipline as governance infrastructure with an 18-to-24-month competitive window. Today we're on the fourth shift, and it's the one that hits closest to ho
#AI
#MedTech
The Jagged Frontier: Why Your Process Experts Matter More Than Your Software
Ethan Mollick (@emollick) put it simply: "There is no instruction manual. On some tasks AI is immensely powerful, and on others it fails completely or subtly.
#AI
Avoid the "summarize this" muscle memory
In my last post, I explored the critical role of context management in getting the best results from AI. Today, I want to share two real-world examples that highlight a simple but powerful technique you can start using immediately.
#AI
Context Engineering: The $100K Skill You're Not Mastering (And How It's Costing You)
Context Engineering: The $100K Skill You're Not Mastering (And How It's Costing You) You’ve heard about prompt engineering. Now, meet its powerful successor: Context Engineering (CE).
#Career
#Prompt Engineering
The Use Case Shapes Everything
In my last article, “What if GenAI could give MedTech professionals back tens of thousands of hours a year?”, I shared how my experience programming with coding agents. In this follow up, I wanted to share how I approached writing an advanced RAG solution to help MedTech professionals to efficiently
#AI
What if GenAI could give MedTech professionals back tens of thousands of hours a year?
That’s not a hypothetical—it’s a real possibility I’ve been exploring as I build GenAI-powered solutions for regulatory documentation in MedTech and BioTech. MedTech and BioTech are governed by regulators like the FDA, EMA, PMDA, ANVISA, and IMDRF.
#AI
#MedTech
#Career
print("Hello World!")
I’ve taken up coding as a hobby recently. The last time I wrote code was before C#, GitHub, containers and development pipelines.
#AI
§ 03
Curated reads.
Source — AI Curation
How J&J's DePuy Synthes made Velys software for faster hip surgeries
Johnson & Johnson MedTech is introducing Velys Hip Navigation, a software-as-a-medical-device (SaMD) product that utilizes AI assistance to enhance hip surgeries. The software aims to improve surgical outcomes and efficiency, as discussed by DePuy Synthes' President of Global Digital, Robotics Surgery, and Customer Solutions. This development highlights the integration of AI in MedTech to advance surgical procedures.
www.medicaldesignandoutsourcing.com
Abbott receives CE mark for dual glucose-ketone sensor
Abbott has received a CE mark for its innovative dual glucose-ketone sensor, marking a significant advancement in MedTech. This development positions Abbott ahead of competitors who are also working on similar technologies, enhancing diabetes management and patient care.
MedTech Dive
Ōura to add blood pressure feature following FDA policy change
Ōura is planning to introduce a blood pressure monitoring feature in its wellness tool, following a recent FDA policy change. This development is part of a broader effort to enhance health monitoring capabilities, with a specific focus on detecting hypertension. The feature is currently under study and will seek FDA approval.
MedTech Dive
Cornerstone earns Europe’s CE mark for surgical robot
Cornerstone Robotics has received the CE mark certification for its surgical robot, enabling its entry into the European market. This milestone follows a significant $200 million funding round aimed at supporting the company's global expansion efforts.
MedTech Dive
Guardant wins FDA approval for updated liquid biopsy
Guardant has received FDA approval for its updated liquid biopsy test, which is expected to command a higher price than its previous version. This advancement in MedTech highlights the growing importance of innovative diagnostic tools in healthcare technology.
MedTech Dive
Boeing, Lockheed supplier raises $300M, plans to expand factory footprint
The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America has raised $300 million to expand its factory footprint and enhance its AI-powered product development platform. This initiative aims to integrate AI across its operations network, aligning with Industry 4.0 practices in manufacturing automation.
Manufacturing Dive
Sentante lands Europe’s CE mark for endovascular robot
Sentante, a Lithuania-based company, has secured Europe's CE mark for its endovascular robotic surgery system designed for remote stroke treatment. The system is also part of the FDA's total product life cycle advisory program, highlighting its potential impact on MedTech innovation and healthcare delivery. This development underscores advancements in robotic surgery and remote healthcare technologies.
MedTech Dive
Data is the ‘number one challenge’ as manufacturing tech evolves
This article discusses the growing challenge of managing data as manufacturing companies embrace digital transformation and automation. Industry leaders from major firms like Ford, GE Appliances, and Amgen shared insights on leveraging data effectively during a recent MIT event. The focus is on how data impacts decision-making and operational efficiency in modern manufacturing environments.
Manufacturing Dive
Medtronic data back renal denervation in the long term
Medtronic presented long-term data at EuroPCR supporting the efficacy of its Symplicity renal denervation procedure for managing severe hypertension, particularly in patients with prior cardiovascular events. The findings highlight the potential of this MedTech innovation to address critical healthcare challenges in cardiovascular treatment. This aligns with advancements in healthcare technology and patient outcomes.
MedTech Dive
Boston Scientific posts positive data for coronary IVL catheter
Boston Scientific has announced positive study results for its intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) catheter, designed to treat patients with severely calcified coronary artery disease. The company plans to submit the device for regulatory approval, highlighting advancements in MedTech for cardiovascular care. This development underscores innovation in healthcare technology aimed at improving patient outcomes.
MedTech Dive
Intuitive readies 100 updates and improvements for da Vinci 5
Intuitive is preparing to release 100 updates for its da Vinci 5 surgical robot, focusing on enhancing communication between remote and on-site physicians. These updates aim to improve surgical training and expand educational opportunities in the MedTech field. The advancements highlight the growing role of robotics in healthcare innovation.
MedTech Dive
Medtronic to create European software hub in Ireland
Medtronic is establishing a European software hub in Ireland, focusing on cardiac digital health solutions. The initiative will create 85 jobs initially, with plans for further expansion over the next three years, highlighting the company's commitment to advancing MedTech innovation in Europe.
MedTech Dive
Endologix buys clot removal system from Surmodics
Endologix has acquired a clot removal system from Surmodics to expand its offerings for vascular interventionists. The system complements Endologix's existing devices for treating peripheral artery disease and abdominal aortic aneurysms, enhancing its portfolio in the MedTech space. This acquisition highlights the growing focus on advanced medical technologies for vascular care.
MedTech Dive
Medtronic to buy SPR Therapeutics for about $650M
Medtronic is acquiring SPR Therapeutics for $650M, expanding its portfolio in chronic pain management solutions. This marks the company's third major acquisition this year, reinforcing its position in the MedTech sector. The deal highlights Medtronic's focus on innovative healthcare technologies.
MedTech Dive
Artemis II, dental aligners and more: The case for additive manufacturing
This article explores the growing adoption of additive manufacturing across industries such as aerospace, defense, and healthcare, highlighting its role in scaling production and creating customized solutions like dental aligners. Brett Conner of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers discusses the transformative impact of 3D printing technologies. The piece emphasizes the importance of additive manufacturing in Industry 4.0 advancements.
Manufacturing Dive
§ 04
Notes in the margin.
Field Annotations — TIL
Better agent control using hierarchical agent.md/claude.md file structure:
DSPy's BootstrapFewShot optimizer can learn from user feedback to improve prompts automatically - no manual prompt engineering needed.
#ai
#dspy
#prompt-engineering
NOV 30 § 05
Standing order.
About
MedTech advisor in Chicago. Most of my work sits at the seam between AI models and the workflows they were bolted onto — manufacturing operations, regulatory and compliance, supply chain, and the long tail of things that quietly break in the second month after a pilot ships.
The coding here is so I understand the boring half of generative AI well enough to advise on it. I work on agentic systems, eval harnesses, and the integration plumbing that decides whether a pilot survives past the demo. When the model is the easy part, I'm interested in the rest.
When I'm not coding or advising, I'm in the kitchen, in the workshop, or behind a camera lens.
willmacdonald
Rev. 2026.05 · Chicago, IL