The software development lifecycle isn’t shrinking because one person now does six jobs — it’s shrinking because AI is eliminating the handoffs between them. For mid-level engineers, this is the most exposed moment in their careers: junior work is vanishing and the bar for senior judgment is rising. This session cuts through the AI hype to deliver an honest diagnosis of what’s actually changing in services and product engineering, what AI cannot replace, and the specific shifts engineers must make in the next 90 days to stay valuable, employable, and ahead of the curve.
Key Takeaways:
1. Why the SDLC is really shrinking
2. Why mid-level is the most exposed layer
3. The three things AI cannot do — judgment, context, ownership
4. A concrete 90-day adoption playbook
5. Services vs. product — opposite shocks, different responses
- Date:09/05/2026
- Time:10:20
- Event:AI in SDLC: From Hype to High-Throughput Engineering @Surat
