20/05/2026
Day 2 at AI & Big Data Expo North America delivered fewer strong sessions, but even more valuable insights.
The first panel about GenAI in software development was especially strong.
One sentence stayed with me:
“We (human beings) are the shield for governance failure.”
That perfectly summarized the discussion.
A few key takeaways:
- In the US, some teams already generate ~80% of software with AI assistance.
- AI-native prototyping is becoming insanely fast.
- Small teams suddenly have leverage that previously required large organizations.
- Custom software may gain advantage again over generic SaaS solutions.
- But production-grade software is still a completely different game.
Everyone agreed on one thing: AI accelerates coding, but it does not magically remove architecture, responsibility, governance, security, deployment complexity, or business accountability.
And perhaps the most interesting part:
coding teams use AI, testers use AI, reviewers use AI… so who verifies the entire chain?
Security and governance still need deterministic human oversight.
The panelists compared the future developer role a bit to George Jetson pushing the big red button in the old cartoon:
automation everywhere — but when something goes wrong, a human is still accountable.
Maybe “developers” disappear.
But “programmers” - especially talented ones - may become even more important.
Another session focused on EVs, autonomous mobility, and how cities are being reshaped around AI-driven transportation systems.
The speaker argued that mobility is becoming the operating system of the modern city: traffic optimization, predictive maintenance, public transport orchestration, energy efficiency, accessibility, and even city competitiveness.
What was interesting is that the biggest barriers are no longer technical.
They are institutional:
- fragmented leadership,
- slow procurement,
- public trust,
- regulation,
- infrastructure gaps.
Cities are no longer competing only for residents. They are competing for mobility leadership.
Shenzhen, Singapore, Oslo, Waymo in Phoenix - all presented as examples of cities or ecosystems already operating at a different speed.
And finally… humanoid robots.
Today they still feel a bit like a trade-show attraction.
Tomorrow? Factory workers, logistics operators, ship crews, home assistants.
The “dual-use” implications are impossible to ignore.
Before humanoids ever become battlefield systems, they may first become incredibly efficient industrial or naval operators: they do not eat, sleep, or get tired.
We are clearly entering the phase where AI is no longer just software.
It is becoming physical infrastructure.
And after two days here, one thing feels obvious: the future advantage will not come simply from access to AI.
It will come from organizations that redesign themselves around it faster than everyone else.
