Craft Conference brings global tech names to Budapest

Some of the world’s best-known tech companies — including Google, Netflix, Meta, Nvidia and IBM — along with iconic figures from software development will meet in Budapest on 4 and 5 June for Craft Conference.

Organisers expect more than 2,000 participants from over 50 countries, with talks spanning functional programming, robotics, and a key practical question for today’s industry: how to make AI more predictable and reliable. The event takes place at the Hungarian Railway History Park, giving the conference its trademark festival feel among vintage steam locomotives and railway carriages.

A “compass” for developers and companies

Craft Conference is described as an annual international event focused on software development. Its stated aim is to serve as a compass in a rapidly changing technology landscape, presenting the tools and methods modern developers and businesses need — guided by international experts.

The setting is part of the concept: workshops and keynote talks are framed as a festival-like experience, rather than a conventional conference hall routine.

The central question for 2026: keeping up with the AI-driven shift

This year’s programme is built around a clear theme: how engineers and companies can keep pace with the changes driven by AI, how to use artificial intelligence effectively, and how the profession itself is being reshaped.

Alongside technical topics, the event also addresses the human side of the AI era. One of the conference’s highlighted themes is “AI anxiety” — the uncertainty and stress some developers feel about their future in an industry transforming at speed.

From AI anxiety to leadership lessons from disasters

Among the speakers announced are Gergely Orosz, described as one of the world’s most-read tech article and newsletter authors, and Kent Beck, presented as one of the most influential thinkers in modern software development.

Veronica Clark, a mindset coach, will speak about how to cope mentally with major change — a timely subject as many developers experience anxiety about what AI will mean for their careers.

Another headline session comes from Nickolas Means (Shopify), an engineering manager who uses real-world disaster case studies — including plane crashes and nuclear incidents — to teach lessons about leadership and teamwork.

The automation paradox and the push for “predictable AI”

The programme also includes a talk by Michelle Brush, the director of Google Site Reliability Engineering, focusing on how AI automation may not eliminate engineers’ work but can make it harder: easier tasks are automated away, while what remains is more complex and carries greater responsibility.

Her theme is the “automation paradox” — the more systems are automated, the more critical human oversight becomes.

Meanwhile, Aaron Erickson will address the challenge of making AI predictable and dependable, a topic increasingly important for teams trying to deploy AI in real products and workflows.

“AI is not the future — it’s the present”

Varga Károly, CEO of organiser CraftHub, framed the conference’s recurring message in stark terms.

“AI is not a future possibility, but the reality of the present,” he said. In his view, developers and companies that do not begin adapting now risk falling behind not in a linear way, but exponentially — because those already using AI can accelerate faster and faster.

Open to everyone

Craft Conference is open to the public, and organisers say anyone can attend. Tickets are available via the event’s website, with further details published on the official Craft Conference platforms.

A video from Craft Conference 2025 is also available here:

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FAQ – Craft conference 2026