Specification as Programming: How to Talk to your AI Collaborator

If prompts are ephemeral specifications, and specifications are persistent prompts, then specification is the new programming.

This workshop explores a radical shift in how we think about AI-assisted development. Instead of writing code and hoping AI helps, we focus upstream: crafting specifications so precise that code generation becomes almost mechanical.

Through focused exercises, you'll learn:

• Specification structures that AI can execute reliably.
• Techniques for systematic requirement drilling (from vague intent to executable spec).
• How to use AI itself to help elicit and refine specifications.

This isn't about abandoning coding skills—it's about playing to each party's strengths. LLMs generate code fast, but are myopic and quickly get out of their depth. Humans are slower at producing curly brackets, but far better at navigating complexity, ambiguity, and long-running contexts. The leverage shifts to defining what should be built, precisely—and letting AI handle the implementation.