Everyone is talking about AI agents, autonomous programmes that can solve problems and work towards their goals independently. You can even have teams of agents working for you. But, is the anthropomorphism of AI a good thing? These are just computer programs after all?
We don’t know what the future will look like, but we do know that the way we work is changing. When our work changes our teams change, and as our teams change our organisations will change. We’re living through an age of experimentation and discovery, where we need to look at some of our assumptions about “what good looks like” and challenge if they’re still valid.
Let’s get nerdy about org design and discuss how AI could change how we set ourselves up for success, whatever our mission.
Interview:
What is the focus of your work?
This time last year I would have answered differently! Until 2024 my career has been focussed on building high performing software engineering teams but more recently I've been focussed on Generative AI and it's potential. At work I'm currently building high performing teams of AI Agents whilst also leading an new AI Community called "AI for the rest of us" aimed at creating a fun, supportive and accessible space to learn about AI.
What’s the motivation for your talk?
At QCon last year I attended some of the AI talks and I was honestly bamboozled by new words and concepts. I don't want anyone to feel like that in my talk - My goal is to provide an introduction to AI agents and how they can be used in the real world!
Who is your talk for?
My talk is for everyone! Even if you're familiar with the technology this talk will help you take a new perspective on how AI Agents might reshape your work and your team!
What do you want someone to walk away with from your presentation?
In my experience there's a lot of people talking about AI Agents but not enough people experimenting and building. I'd like to inspire people to try it and see what it can do!
What do you think is the next big disruption in software?
Yes, I do indeed think Agentic AI is the next big disruption. I'm here for the rollercoaster!
What was one interesting thing that you learned from a previous QCon?
Last year at QCon I googled the word inference during a talk about self-hosted LLMs!!! It's hard to believe how far I've come in just a year!!!
Speaker
Hannah Foxwell
Independent Consultant at the Intersection of Platform Engineering, Security, and AI, Founder of AI For the Rest of Us
With over a decade of experience in platform engineering, Hannah Foxwell has always advocated for the human aspects of technology transformation and evolution. Hannah is relentlessly curious about the tools, technologies, processes and practices that make life better for the people involved in software development, using this knowledge to build happy, high-performing engineering teams. Hannah now works as an independent consultant at the intersection of platform engineering, security and AI.
