Ever wondered what senior engineers actually talk about behind closed doors?

In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael and Ben open up the conversations developers usually only hear behind closed doors. We're talking how real engineering teams review code, manage dependencies, keep tests reliable and prevent their codebases from turning into chaos.

Live and in real time, they break down the habits and workflows that make software durable: using reusable components to avoid reinvention, building integration tests that catch silent failures, choosing versioning strategies that won’t break downstream users, and writing documentation that actually accelerates collaboration.

Tune into episode 25 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• What code reviews really accomplish
• Why reusable components reduce long-term friction
• How dependency management goes wrong (and how to keep it stable)
• Why integration tests are the backbone of reliable software
• How versioning choices shape releases
• The role of clear documentation in team velocity
• Why internal utilities need user-centric design
• How clean codebases speed up onboarding and feedback

If your work touches code, this episode gives you the kind of insight you’d normally only get sitting next to seasoned engineers at the office.

What happens when AI stops generating answers and starts deciding what’s true?

In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael Berk and Ben Wilson dive into GPT-5’s growing role as an interpreter of information — not just generating text, but analyzing news, assessing credibility, and shaping how we understand truth itself.

They unpack how reasoning capabilities, source reliability, and human feedback intersect to build, or break trust in AI systems. The conversation also examines the ethical stakes of explainability, the dangers of “sycophantic” AI behavior and the future of intelligence in a market-driven ecosystem.

Tune in to Episode 24 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• How GPT-5’s reasoning is redefining “understanding” in AI
• Why explainability is critical for trust and transparency
• The risks of AI echo chambers and feedback bias
• The role of human judgment in AI alignment and evaluation
• What it means for machines to become arbiters of truth

Whether you build, study, or rely on AI systems, this episode will leave you questioning how far we’re willing to let our models think for us.

How to fight complexity creep and build software that stays simple, even as it grows.

Every engineer knows the struggle: a simple system slowly buried under complexity.

In this episode of Free Form AI, Michael Berk and Ben Wilson break down how complexity creeps into code, dependencies and design. And why simplicity almost always wins. They cover how iteration, testing and mentorship can keep software maintainable. So where Gen AI can (and can’t) help reduce friction?

Tune in to Episode 23 for a wide-ranging conversation about:
• Complexity shows up in code, dependencies and design decisions
• Incremental iteration helps map the solution space more effectively
• Testing isn’t just QA, it’s how we preserve maintainability
• Gen AI can simplify coding tasks, but it still needs human oversight
• Mentorship remains one of the best ways to fight chaos in code

If you’ve ever wrestled with “complexity creep,” this one’s for you.