As agents become a growing part of the software delivery lifecycle, engineers will need to develop new capabilities beyond writing code alone. In this session, IBM HashiCorp Field CTO Anna McDougall introduces the COG Model for engineering skills development in the AI era: Curation, Orchestration, and Governance. Yet while many tools and skills are changing, many of the attributes that define exceptional engineers remain consistent. So what will distinguish the best engineers in an age of AI? Which qualities become more important, which become less so, and what does engineering excellence really look like when you're no longer coding by hand? This keynote aims to answer this question while helping leaders best identify how to build great systems and develop the careers of the engineers in their teams.
This talk has been presented at TechLead Conf London 2026: Adopting AI in Orgs Edition, check out the latest edition of this Tech Conference.























