Session Outline:
From Coder to Conductor: The Reality of Engineering in the AI Era

AI is rapidly becoming a core part of modern software development, but the reality of AI-assisted engineering is far more complex than the productivity headlines suggest. In this session, Christopher Powell and Marco Lenzo explore how the software development lifecycle is evolving as developers transition from writing every line of code to orchestrating, reviewing, and directing AI-generated outputs.

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Drawing on real-world experience, the session examines where AI genuinely accelerates delivery, where it introduces new risks, and how engineering teams can avoid accumulating hidden technical and review debt. It also explores the growing importance of problem definition, system thinking, quality assurance, and architectural oversight in an era of increasingly non-deterministic software generation.

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The presentation will address one of the industry's most pressing questions: how do we develop the next generation of engineers when many traditional entry-level learning opportunities are being automated? Attendees will gain practical insights into building resilient teams, protecting product quality, and adapting engineering practices for the AI era.

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About   Marco

Marco is a technical leader with over 16 years of experience architecting highly available, distributed systems. As a Lead Architect and Platform Owner, he has successfully scaled initiatives from concept to general availability across multiple agile teams in the IaaS and payments sectors.  

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He has collaborated closely with Chris Powell for over 16 years, forming a strong partnership grounded in shared principles around architecture, engineering excellence, and innovation. A returning speaker at TechTok, Marco co-presented in 2025 and joins Chris again in 2026 to share practical insights drawn from their long-standing work together. They also co-presented the AI keynote at the 2025 Travel Influencer Summit in Malta.  

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A strong advocate for Domain-Driven Design, cloud-native technologies, and DevOps, Marco focuses on balancing rapid innovation with stability, scalability, and responsible system design.