AI Sparks: AI Toolkit for VS Code - from playground to production

vinayakh

Microsoft

Feb 11, 2025

We’re excited to announce a new live webinar series on building AI applications—taking you from playground to production using the AI Toolkit for VS Code. Starting February 13, 2025, we’ll hosting a webinar every two weeks, each running for approximately an hour. Each session will focus on a key topic for AI developers, combining concept overviews, live demos, and interactive Q&A. Join us to explore the latest techniques and best practices in AI development!

Are you building AI-powered applications from scratch or infusing intelligence into existing production code and systems?

AI Sparks is your go-to webinar series for mastering the AI Toolkit (AITK) for VS Code from foundational concepts to cutting-edge techniques.

In this bi-weekly, hands-on series, we’ll cover:

SLMs & Local Models – Test and deploy AI models and applications efficiently on your own terms locally, to edge devices or to the cloud

Embedding Models & RAG – Supercharge retrieval for smarter applications using existing data.

Multi-Modal AI – Work with images, text, and beyond.

Agentic Frameworks – Build autonomous, decision-making AI systems.

What will you learn from this session?
Whether you're a developer, startup founder, or AI enthusiast, you'll gain practical insights, live demos, and actionable takeaways to level up your AI integration journey.

Join us and spark your AI transformation!

You can click here and register for the entire series on the reactor page

Episode list

You can also sign up for the individual episode and read about the topics covered using the following links:

Feb 13^th 2025 – WATCH ON DEMAND @ Introduction to AI toolkit and feature walkthrough

In In this episode, we’ll introduce the AI Toolkit extension for VS Code—a powerful way to explore and integrate the latest AI models from OpenAI, Meta, Deepseek, Mistral, and more. With this extension, you can browse state-of-the-art models, download some for local use, or experiment with others remotely. Whether you're enhancing an existing application or building something new, the AI Toolkit simplifies the process of selecting and integrating the right model for your needs.

Feb 27^th 2025 – A short introduction to SLMs and local model with use cases

In this episode, we’ll explore Small Language Models (SLMs) and how they compare to larger models. SLMs are efficient, require less compute and memory, and can run on edge devices while still excelling at a variety of tasks. We’ll dive into the Phi-3.5 and Phi-4 model series and demonstrate how to build a practical application using these models.

Mar 13^th 2025 – How to work with embedding models and build a RAG application

In this episode, we’ll dive into embedding models—important tools for working with vector databases and large language models. These models convert text into numerical representations, making it easier to process and retrieve information efficiently. After covering the core concepts, we’ll apply them in practice by building a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) app using Small Language Models (SLMs) and a vector database.

Mar 27^th 2025 – Multi-modal support and image analysis

In this episode, we’ll dig deeper into multi-modal capabilities of local and remote AI models and use visualization tools for better insights. We’ll also dive into multi-modal support in the AI Toolkit, showcasing how to process and analyze images alongside text. By the end, you’ll see how these capabilities come together to enhance powerful AI applications.

Apr 10^th 2025 – Evaluations – How to choose the best model for you applications needs

In this episode, we’ll explore how to evaluate AI models and choose the right one for your needs. We’ll cover key performance metrics, compare different models, and demonstrate testing strategies using features like Playground, Bulk Run, and automated evaluations. Whether you're experimenting with the latest models or transitioning to a new version, these evaluation techniques will help you make informed decisions with confidence.

Apr 24^th 2025 – Agents and Agentic Frameworks

In this episode, we’ll explore agents and agentic frameworks—systems that enable AI models to make decisions, take actions, and automate complex tasks. We’ll break down how these frameworks work, their practical applications, and how to build and integrate them into your projects. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to build and leverage AI agents effectively. We will explore how to use and build agentic frameworks using AI Toolkit.