What You're Leaving on the Table
Speaker
Mark Smith
Mark Smith is Head of Python Ecosystem at JetBrains, which means he's responsible for your favourite Python IDE. He's a PSF Fellow, a DSF Member, a PyCon UK organiser, and was DjangoCon Europe Co-Chair '23. He's worked in many roles in Engineering, Marketing, and Communication. He's now giving Product a try.
Mark has been programming in Python since 2000, and lives in Edinburgh with his family and three dogs. He recently got a tattoo.
Abstract
Developers are excited about AI, but not about the proven practices that would make them faster today. I'll explore the efficiency gaps hiding in plain sight – from debugging habits to testing strategies to software design – and argue that these fundamentals become even more essential when AI enters the picture.
Description
Everyone's talking about AI making developers faster. But while we chase the next productivity tool, we're ignoring the efficiency gains already within reach.
This talk examines the practices that many developers underuse – or skip entirely – and the real cost of those gaps. I'll look at how better debugging skills, effective testing strategies, and thoughtful software design can dramatically improve the speed and quality of your work, regardless of whether AI is involved.
I'll also explore how these traditional practices interact with AI-assisted development. Good tests and clear architecture don't just help humans write better code, they shape how effectively AI tools can contribute to a codebase. And some long-held assumptions about what developers need to do may be shifting as AI capabilities grow.
You'll leave knowing exactly what you've been leaving on the table, when it comes to efficiency – and how to pick it back up.