Harness is bringing together a small group of senior engineering leaders for a private event built around a conversation that keeps coming up: AI inside the SDLC went from experiment to line item faster than anyone expected, and most organizations haven't caught up on the governance side.

Over the last two years, teams optimized for AI capability at almost any cost — bigger context windows, more copilots, more experimentation. Now the questions are changing. It's less about whether to use AI and more about who owns the cost, how you measure what's actually working, and how you maintain visibility and control as AI gets embedded deeper into your pipelines.

Martin Reynolds, Field CTO at Harness, will lead the discussion. He’ll share observations and emerging patterns from engineering organizations navigating the shift toward AI-driven software delivery — from governance and security to cost optimization and developer experience.

Topics we'll dig into:

• The shift from token-maxing to AI cost governance — and who actually owns it inside engineering organizations

• Whether "cost per feature" is becoming a real engineering metric, and what it takes to measure AI efficiency inside the SDLC

• Routing the right work to the right model at the right cost without destroying developer experience

• Why AI governance is becoming part of SDLC governance — visibility, security, and policy now matter as much as capability

• The developer experience problem: how governance either earns adoption or drives shadow AI

• Maintaining visibility and control over the models, data, and AI systems flowing through your delivery stack

The evening will include:

• Arrival, registration, and welcome drinks

• A short, focused conversation exploring the future of AI governance, cost visibility, developer experience, and security in the evolving SDLC

• Open discussion and peer conversation throughout the evening

• Networking over food and drinks to continue the conversation with peers

Capacity is limited and the guest list is intentionally small. Passed hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be provided throughout the evening. If you have any dietary restrictions, let us know and we'll make sure you're taken care of.