Building Apps with AI: One Year of Real-World Lessons

Overview

Building Apps with AI: One Year of Real-World Lessons examines what it is actually like to build a production software product with AI on a daily basis. This event, hosted in Fort Lauderdale and organized by Vibe Coding Miami in collaboration with the Miami Java User Group, shares a year of practical lessons learned while designing, developing, and launching GatherLogic.com, a SaaS platform for managing communities, groups, and events. Rather than presenting isolated demos, the session analyzes AI performance across the software development lifecycle and discusses what works in production, where AI accelerates development, and where challenges remain. Attendees will explore how AI supports architecture, debugging, refactoring, API integration, testing, and documentation. The content is language-agnostic and intended for developers across Java, C#, Python, JavaScript, Go, Rust, PHP, and other stacks, focusing on engineering practices and AI collaboration patterns applicable to many technologies.

Agenda

6:30 PM to 7:00 PM EST — Networking with food and refreshments 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM EST — Presentation 8:00 PM to 8:30 PM EST — Q&A Discussion The session also addresses practical considerations when working with AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf, and compares strengths of current development tools. Attendees will leave with concrete techniques, realistic expectations, and reusable patterns to integrate AI more effectively into software projects.

Speakers

• Eugenio "Gene" Alvarez — Co-Founder, Keystone Logix. Gene is a veteran software engineering leader with more than 30 years of experience building enterprise applications, cloud platforms, and SaaS products. He has guided engineering organizations, modernized legacy systems, and delivered scalable solutions for startups and global enterprises. Gene designed and built GatherLogic.com, using AI as a daily development partner. He regularly speaks at user groups and technology conferences, sharing practical software engineering insights and AI collaboration patterns that apply across languages and stacks. Website, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and GitHub links are provided on the event page.

Format and Audience

This event is an in-person, offline gathering hosted at Gravity IT Resources in Fort Lauderdale, with free parking in the garage or nearby lots. It is a collaborative event with the Miami Java User Group and aims to be accessible to developers across languages and domains who want to understand real-world AI usage in software development, not just marketing demos.

Location and Logistics

Location: Gravity IT Resources, 6451 N Federal Hwy, Ste 410, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308, US. The event is part of the GatherLogic Vibe Coding Miami series and emphasizes practical engineering practices and AI collaboration patterns that apply regardless of programming language.

Who Should Attend

Developers, software engineers, architects, and engineering leaders interested in AI-assisted development, practical AI tooling, and improving production workflows. The talk addresses architecture, debugging, testing, documentation, and deployment using AI as a partner, not a replacement for skilled engineering judgment.

FAQ

Parking is available for free in the garage and in the front lot. The event is hosted in person and may feature RSVP and networking opportunities. For those who cannot attend in person, check the event page for updates about accessibility or future online alternatives.

Notes

The session positions AI as a daily development partner and includes a discussion of where AI accelerates work and where it falls short, with guidance on how to collaborate effectively with AI to build better software, faster.