Uphill Conf

Overview

Uphill Conf returns in 2026 with a focus on the practical real world impact of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning on software development. The event is scheduled for May 7 and 8, 2026 in Bern, Switzerland. After a sold-out 2025 edition, Uphill Conf 2026 again centers on hands-on, production oriented AI topics, showcasing how teams are deploying AI in production environments and how software engineering practices evolve to support AI driven systems. The conference is aimed at software developers, engineers, data scientists, AI leads, and technical managers who want to translate AI advances into concrete software improvements.

Agenda and tracks

The program is organized into multiple sections that cover Talks, Workshops, and a dedicated space for Hands-on learning. The Talks track features a blend of keynote style talks and longer sessions exploring the strategic and technical aspects of AI in software. Topics span from building AI native UX and design practices to production level concerns such as security, observability, governance, and cost management. The Talks content emphasizes practical insights, not only theory, and includes real-world stories from industry practitioners.

Workshops are offered as full or half day sessions on May 7 that dive deep into concrete techniques and tooling. These interactive sessions focus on production readiness, secure and observable LLM applications, and hands-on exercises to reinforce best practices. The workshop format enables attendees to gain hands-on experience with threat modelling, guardrails, monitoring, incident response, and end-to-end AI workflows. The agenda is designed to balance theory with practical application, ensuring attendees can return to their teams with actionable patterns.

Speakers

Uphill Conf 2026 features a distinguished lineup of speakers from leading tech organizations and research initiatives. Highlights include engineers and leaders from Google DeepMind, AWS, IBM Research, Hugging Face, Towards AI, and Studio Jadu, among others. The program presents a mix of roles such as Chief Technologists, Product Designers, AI Engineers, and researchers who share real-world experiences, architectural decisions, and design patterns for AI powered software. Talks cover topics like agentic architectures, AI governance, responsible AI practices, design for AI enabled interfaces, and scalable AI deployment.

Format

The event blends talks and hands-on workshops with opportunities for networking and sponsor showcases. Attendees will have access to a curated program that emphasizes practical outcomes, including case studies, live demonstrations, and templates for implementing AI in production. The conference location is Gurten, Bern with Pavilion spaces and Panorama venues for talks and workshops. The organizers highlight coffee breaks, meals, and networking as integral parts of the program to facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Who should attend

The conference targets CTOs, Heads of Engineering, developers, product managers, data scientists, and AI leads who are actively building or planning AI powered software. The program offers insights useful for teams looking to transform their SDLC to accommodate AI agents, private AI platforms, and AI driven product decisions while maintaining governance and cost controls.

FAQ

The event information confirms an on-site, in-person format with multiple venues around Bern. Ticketing is available for attendees, with some workshops requiring registration. Attendees should plan for travel to Gurten, Bern, and arrange accommodations if needed. The schedule includes sessions across two days, with a combination of talks, workshops, and hands-on activities designed to maximize practical takeaways for software engineering in the AI era.