AgentSpek cover

AgentSpek

A Beginner's Companion to the AI Frontier

by Joshua Ayson

Don't panic — just code with AI. A travel-size companion for anyone curious about stepping into the world of AI-assisted coding. Field notes from the edge of the AI frontier.

18 Chapters

Available Chapters

Don't panic — just code with AI. A travel-size companion for anyone curious about stepping into the world of AI-assisted coding. Field notes from the edge of the AI frontier.

Chapter 1: Awakening to the AI Frontier cover
Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Awakening to the AI Frontier

I opened seventeen browser tabs, each one a different AI coding tool promising to revolutionize development. This wasn't about money—it was about the overwhelming paradox of choice in a landscape that changes daily.

Chapter 2: The Economics of Intelligence cover
Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Economics of Intelligence

How do you measure the ROI of a tool that makes your team think better? This isn't about faster compilers or better CI/CD pipelines—it's about cognitive amplification that has strange, non-linear returns.

Chapter 3: Git for the Agentic Age cover
Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Git for the Agentic Age

This commit message tells a story that would have been impossible five years ago—a record of human-AI collaboration that produced something neither could have created alone. Git was built for human-paced development, but AI changes all of these assumptions.

Chapter 4: Agent Mode (The Way That Works) cover
Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Agent Mode (The Way That Works)

I don't think in fragments. I don't think in lines. I think in systems. In architectures. In complete solutions to complete problems. So I stopped fighting autocomplete and found what actually works: agent mode.

Chapter 5: The Socratic Partner (Conversational Mode) cover
Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Socratic Partner (Conversational Mode)

There's a particular kind of clarity that emerges from conversation. Not the false clarity of a quick answer or a copied solution, but the deep understanding that comes from having your assumptions questioned, your blind spots illuminated, your half-formed thoughts given shape.

Chapter 6: The Delegated Mind (Agent Mode) cover
Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Delegated Mind (Agent Mode)

There's a moment when you realize you're no longer programming computers. You're programming intelligence itself. Not through code but through clear expression of intent. Not through syntax but through structured thought.

Chapter 7: The Unleashed Intelligence (Autonomous Mode) cover
Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Unleashed Intelligence (Autonomous Mode)

There's something profound about waking up to work that was done while you slept. Not just done, but done with a thoroughness that makes you question your own approach to problem-solving.

AgentSpek

A Beginner’s Companion to the AI Frontier

Don’t panic — just code with AI

AgentSpek is a travel-size companion for anyone curious about what it’s really like to step into the world of AI-assisted coding. Drawing from personal experiences with tools like VS Code and Claude, this book blends stories, lessons, and practical prompts into a guide you can actually carry on vacation, read on a plane, or flip open between coffee breaks.

Think of it as field notes from the edge of the AI frontier — part memoir, part beginner’s guide, part workbook.

About This Book

We’re not just getting new tools, we’re becoming something new. This book follows a journey from overwhelmed developer to conductor of intelligence, exploring what it means to collaborate with AI rather than just use it.

The Journey:

  • Part I: Orientation (Ch 1-3) - The call to adventure: git for the agentic age, economics of intelligence
  • Part II: Spectrum (Ch 4-7) - Four modes of AI collaboration from autocomplete to autonomous
  • Part III: Practice (Ch 8-10) - Reimagining development loops, quality, and orchestrating multiple AI models
  • Part IV: Edges (Ch 11-13) - Social machines, knowledge spirals, and the value equation
  • Part V: Philosophy (Ch 14-16) - Weight of creation, the great unleashing, and becoming
  • Part VI: Horizon (Ch 17-18) - Community and your agentic journey

What Makes AgentSpek Different

  • 🎒 Travel-Size Companion: ~250 pages, readable on vacation
  • 📖 Story-Driven: Personal experiences, not dry technical manual
  • 🎨 Illustrated: Each chapter with custom artwork
  • 🤝 AI-Collaborative: Written with AI, about working with AI
  • 🌟 Beginner-Friendly: No prerequisites, just curiosity

Who This Book Is For

  • Complete Beginners wondering what AI coding looks like
  • Seasoned Engineers dipping a toe into AI tools
  • Curious Developers ready to explore human+AI collaboration
  • Anyone interested in the future of creative work with machines

© 2025 Joshua Ayson. All rights reserved. Published by Organic Arts LLC.

AgentSpek and all related content are protected by copyright. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.