AI Dev Craft 2026

Overview

AI Dev Craft 2026 is an on-site developer conference focused on practical AI engineering for software teams. Hosted at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, the event is designed to help engineers, engineering managers, and tool vendors understand how to ship AI powered software effectively. The conference emphasizes hands-on workflows, tooling choices, and best practices for integrating AI into real-world products. Attendees should expect a boutique, engineer-focused experience that fosters meaningful conversations and peer-to-peer learning.

When and where

The conference takes place October 27–28, 2026, at Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The venue features multiple on-site dining options, a spa, and access to the surrounding Red Rock Canyon area. A restricted-area, high-collaboration environment is emphasized, with a cap on attendee count to preserve quality interactions.

What you will learn

AI Dev Craft centers on helping you become your team’s AI expert. The program covers generative AI for developers, AI tooling for engineers, and practical workflows that teams can adopt immediately. Sessions explore how traditional IDEs and AI-centric tools integrate to orchestrate AI agents, how to set up developer environments, and how to measure impact through benchmarks and governance practices. The content is designed to be actionable rather than purely theoretical, with concrete takeaways you can implement right away.

Format and agenda highlights

The event blends talks, workshops, and hands-on sessions centered around real-world engineering needs. Tracks include:

• AI workflows and developer tooling: how top engineers use IDEs and AI agents in daily work, including demos of tools used to automate coding, testing, and deployment.
• Proximity to practice: sessions that focus on building communities around AI engineering, networking with peers, and discussing practical career paths in this rapidly evolving field.
• Studio-style sessions and workshops: interactive workshops that cover environment setup, agent orchestration, and end-to-end AI project workflows.

Speakers and sessions

The program features engineers and practitioners who actively implement AI in industry settings. Notable speakers mentioned in preview materials include Maddison Gillespie, Ethan Valdez, Jay Shepard, Jordan Burgess, Byron Robertson, Franklin Mays, and several others. Presentations cover topics such as AI integration in daily software development, hands-on tooling demonstrations, and case studies showing how teams ship AI-powered features. Expect a mix of keynote-like talks, practical how-to sessions, and interactive demonstrations.

Who should attend

This conference is tailored for engineers, engineering managers, and developers who want to ship AI powered software more efficiently. It offers practical guidance on tooling, workflows, collaboration, and governance for AI projects within product teams.

FAQ

• Is AI Dev Craft online or on-site? On-site only at Red Rock Resort, Las Vegas.
• What is the expected attendee cap? The event is designed as a boutique experience with a target range of 500–1,000 engineers.
• What should I bring? Comfortable attire suitable for full-day sessions; your laptop for hands-on workshops.

Takeaways

Attendees will gain a playbook for accelerating AI development within their teams, including recommended IDE setups, agent workflows, and benchmarks to measure progress. The event aims to leave you with a concrete plan for shipping AI responsibly and effectively in your own organization.