PR Ready. Problem TBD: Product Engineering in the AI Era

A pull request can be ready while the problem is still unclear. Software engineering is changing quietly. In many teams, AI is reducing the time needed for parts of implementation. That does not make engineering less important—the difficult work increasingly includes understanding the problem, choosing trade-offs, providing context, verifying generated work, integrating systems, and deciding what happens next. We want to examine this change from the perspective of creating user and business value—not only from inside the software-engineering world. When we can build more things faster, what should we build, and why? becomes the central question. Together, we’ll explore: Note This is not a “coding is dead” talk. The shift is uneven, and deep technical expertise remains essential—especially in novel, complex, or high-risk systems. Our question is where engineering judgment becomes most valuable as more code becomes easier to produce. Format We’ll begin with a framing presentation and a few prompts, then spend most of the event in a moderated open discussion. This is not a traditional lecture or panel. We’ll use brief reflection and small-group conversation to make it easier for everyone to contribute. Skeptical perspectives and counterexamples are very welcome. Come with one example of where AI helped, complicated, or changed your own work. This conversation is for anyone involved in building and shaping software, with a particular focus on the changing role of software engineers. Product and design partners are welcome too. We’ll meet in a conference room at Network Coworking. The venue has a bar where guests can order drinks and snacks. Refreshments are not included, so everyone will pay for their own order.