Description

TL;DR

A year-long, monthly roundtable for senior technical leaders to explore how software engineering and leadership must evolve as AI agents generate most of the code. The focus is on redefining quality, governance, architecture, and engineering principles in an AI-first world where code is no longer the primary output.

OVERVIEW

This roundtable brings together senior technical leaders -- CTOs, architects, and experienced developers -- who guide teams, shape technology strategy, and influence how software evolves within their organizations. Our intent is to foster a sustained, high-value conversation among peers navigating similar challenges.

Over the next year, our monthly meetings will explore a central theme that is rapidly redefining our field:

What is the role of software developers and engineering leadership when AI agents can generate the majority of the code?

We are witnessing dramatic advances in AI-assisted development. As AI-generated code becomes more capable, abundant, and disposable, the nature of our work is shifting. This raises strategic questions that will define the future of our discipline:

• In a world where we rarely write code, and might not need to read it at all -- how do we ensure quality, correctness, reliability, and maintainability?
• How do oversight mechanisms and engineering principles evolve to prevent errors, align systems with business intent, and manage risk?
• What design patterns, modular structures, or corrective mechanisms will be required to offset the high risk of compounding mistakes and the inherent limitations of agent-driven development?
• Which long held principles of software engineering should we be abandonding and which should we continue to embrace?

Throughout the year, we will examine these questions from technical, organizational, ethical, and operational perspectives. Our goal is not only to understand where software development is heading, but also to shape how we lead our teams through this transition.

This series will help us collectively consider how to architect, validate, and govern systems in a future where the code itself is no longer an important output of the task of creating software. It is an opportunity to define what software engineering becomes when the artifacts we produce—and the practices we rely on—must adapt to an AI-first development environment.

We look forward to your insights and your leadership as we explore this evolving landscape together.

For more information on joining VIATEC Peer Roundtables, please contact Rob Bennett by e-mail at rbennett@viatec.ca describing how you meet the eligibility criteria for this roundtable.