Local AI for .NET

In this session, we’ll introduce Foundry Local, a lightweight runtime that lets you run AI models locally and call them from your .NET applications — no prior AI experience required.

We’ll start by answering the basics: What is Foundry Local, how does it work, and why should .NET developers care? Then, we’ll build a real C# application that uses Foundry Local for tasks like text generation, summarization, and structured responses. You’ll learn how to install Foundry Local, call it from C#, handle responses, and integrate AI features into real applications.

You’ll walk away with a working sample project and a clear understanding of how Foundry Local fits into modern .NET development so you can start experimenting with AI in your own applications.

Attendees should be comfortable reading and writing C#. No prior AI knowledge required.

The Developer Testing Toolbox

Software testing is a vital skill for any developer who wants to deliver high-quality, reliable software. This session will explore unit testing and more advanced topics, such as mocking, integration tests, and mutation testing. It will also show tools and packages that can help you automate your testing process and make it more productive.

Back to Basics: Unit Testing

In this session, we'll discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and best practices of unit tests. We'll then talk about the different unit testing tools and get into demos.

Back to Basics: ADO.NET

Microsoft says Entity Framework (EF) is "an object-relational mapper (or ORM) that eliminates the need for most of the data-access code that developers usually need to write". This session will show the basics of data access that ORMs like EF tend to obscure. It will also show how to use ADO.NET to integrate with and augment EF when it falls short.