Reflections on DevOpsDays Vilnius 2026

The recent DevOpsDays Vilnius conference brought together industry professionals to discuss the evolving landscape of software engineering. A central theme was the integration of AI, with attendees debating the use of autonomous agents for infrastructure tasks versus the risks of losing core engineering craftsmanship. Experts highlighted concerns regarding 'AI slop' in bug reports and the strain on open-source maintainers. To address these challenges, speakers proposed shifting human collaboration to the design and specification phase of the PR process, rather than focusing solely on code review. Beyond AI, the event featured practical discussions on platform engineering, the ongoing debate over trunk-based development, and a resurgence of interest in on-premises infrastructure as a cost-effective alternative to public cloud providers. The conference underscored that while tools change, the fundamental need for shared engineering standards and robust human-to-human communication remains critical for high-quality software development.