Call for Speakers:
AI Heroes – The Agentic Era and Beyond
A New Format
A Triple-Header in Italy’s Innovation Hubs
In 2026, AI Heroes expands into a scalable 3-event series hosted in the most prestigious tech venues in Italy.
The Roadmap:
May 7 – Toolbox, Turin
June 26 – TAG Calabiana, Milan
November 6 – Toolbox, Turin
The Format:
Designed to maximize learning and networking efficiency. Only ONE track:
Morning: Hands-on Workshop Sessions (Deep dive). Two ~90'-120' or one ~180' Workshop. Maximum capacity 30 people
Afternoon: Strategic Conference Program (Case histories & Vision). Four or five 30’/40′ sessions. 120 Attendees
Evening: Networking Aperitif & Community Building.
It is possible to submit multiple speech proposals. It is also possible to submit a proposal for workshop and a separate proposal for a 40-minute talk on the same topic.
The Agentic Era and Beyond
The era of AI as a simple coding assistant is over. We have entered a new phase where Artificial Intelligence is reshaping the entire Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The software industry is in the middle of a once-in-a-generation shift. AI is no longer a feature you add. It is becoming a new layer of the engineering stack, changing how we think, design, build, ship, and operate software.
AI Heroes is built for people who actually ship. We require deep technical sessions and best practices.
AI Heroes is the international conference on AI for developers, by developers. A place where builders compare notes, share battle-tested patterns, and shape what “AI-native engineering” really means.
Our Audience:
Expert Developers, Tech Leaders, Platform Leaders, Product Managers, CTOs, and Architects who are building the next generation of software systems.
Our Focus:
Deep technical sessions and best practices, Strategy, Process Innovation, Enterprise Case Studies, and Cultural Transformation
Our Mission:
To empower Tech/Platform Leaders, Expert Developers and CTOs with the strategic insights they need to simplify delivery, accelerate development velocity, and scale product innovation through intelligent AI adoption.
What We Are Looking For
We are seeking sessions that explore the following core themes.
We value real-world experience, enterprise case studies, and ‘lessons learned’ patterns, and playbooks you can apply the next day.
1. Building software with AI
We explore how AI is transforming the entire Software Development Life Cycle. Not just “writing code”, but accelerating delivery while raising the bar on quality.
Topics include:
Agentic workflows and developer agents in real pipelines
Vibe coding, AI pair programming, and AI-assisted design
AI-driven testing, refactoring, code review, and CI/CD
Debugging, incident response, and observability with AI
Governance for speed: guardrails, evaluations, and risk control
The real question is not can it generate code? It is can we ship better software, faster, with less risk and more learning?
2. Building software that integrates AI
We dive into building AI-powered products and features that work in production. From prototype to reliable systems.
Topics include:
Chatbots, copilots, and conversational UX that users trust
RAG, knowledge systems, and retrieval architectures
Computer vision, speech, and multimodal apps
Data agents, analytics automation, forecasting, and anomaly detection
Reliability and safety: evaluation, monitoring, and rollback strategies
Cost, latency, privacy, security, and compliance by design
3. Agentic AI & Autonomous Workflows
Move beyond the chatbot. We want to hear how you are using AI Agents to orchestrate complex tasks.
Keywords: Multi-agent systems, task orchestration, autonomous dev teams, transitioning from "Copilot" to "Autopilot."
4. AI-Driven SDLC Transformation
How is AI changing the way you plan, test, and deploy? Focus on the impact on Developer Experience (DevEx) and time-to-market.
Keywords: Predictive DevOps, automated QA pipelines, AI in requirements engineering, reducing lead time.
5. Generative UI & AI-Native Product Design
For Product Managers and Architects: How are you moving away from static interfaces to dynamic, intent-based user experiences?
Keywords: Generative UI, hyper-personalization, intent-based interfaces, designing products that "adapt" rather than just "respond."
6. Governance, Sovereignty, and Responsible AI
The critical challenges for the Enterprise. How do you adopt AI while maintaining control over your data, costs, and reputation?
Keywords: Data sovereignty, on-premise LLMs, FinOps for AI, avoiding hallucinations, legal compliance (EU AI Act).
7. Strategic Context Engineering & Corporate Knowledge
Turning "dead" data into active assets. How are you using AI to solve the knowledge transfer problem and modernize legacy systems?
Keywords: Enterprise search, onboarding automation, legacy code modernization, turning documentation into conversational interfaces.
Selection process
Proposals will be filtered and shortlisted by past Ai Heroes Speakers.
Call for Papers deadline: 22 March 2026
Speakers selected by the AI Heroes 2026 committee will receive:
- One (1) ticket to take part in the conference, and one (1) additional free ticket to share with a person of your choice.
- All speaker tickets include the Networking Aperitif.
- Travel (hotel and accommodation) expenses could be covered if requested: up to €300 reimbursement. Due to budget constraints, we could cover only very few requests.
- Alternatively, companies or organisations that cover the entire cost of their speakers' participation (travel and accommodation) will receive Supporting Sponsorship status : 1. Logo on event website homepage and sponsor page 2. +2 conference tickets for the in-person event. 3. Dedicated discounts to share with your network: 20% on all tickets
Important notes
Please note, all presentations are live, in person, in Turin or Milan Italy. No remote speeches are allowed.
Original talks (not previously presented at other conferences) will be given priority.
By submitting a proposal you accept our Privacy Policy
Please note, the conference language is English.
Proposals can be modified by you, the owner, at any time — although kindly let the organisers know any time you do modify your session(s) or data after the Call for Papers has ended.
Do you have a story that can inspire the next generation of Tech Leaders?
Submit your proposal today and help us define the future of AI in software engineering.
Official Website: https://aiheroes.it/2026/
Submissions close on 2026-03-22 23:43 (Europe/Rome), 3 weeks, 5 days from now.