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# Can This Elephant Dance? IBM Bob and the Future of AI-First Software Development


- **Date:** Friday, Jul 10, 2026
- **Time:** 11:40–12:10 (30 min)
- **Room:** Mainstage
- **Event:** World Congress 2026 Europe

## Recording

[Watch recording](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100256-can-this-elephant-dance-ibm-bob-and-the-future-of-ai-first-software-development)

## Description

In less than a decade, generative AI has completely reshaped software development. We are now entering, what I call,  the era of Software 4.0, where orchestrated agents are changing how software systems are conceived, built, and maintained. In this talk, I will share the origin and evolution of IBM Bob, our AI-first platform for enterprise-scale software development. I will show how Bob helps organizations apply AI across the full software lifecycle in real-world enterprise settings.

## Speakers

### [Neel Sundaresan](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@neel-sundaresan)

General Manager of AI Products and Productivity Tools at IBM
### [Arvid Ottenberg](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@arvid-ottenberg)

Senior Product Manager IBM Bob at IBM


## Related talks at this congress

- [20 Years of Solving Unsolvable Problems](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe/sessions/1243-20-years-of-solving) — Werner Vogels
- [Fireside Chat - In conversation with Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon.com](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe/sessions/1274-fireside-chat-in) — Werner Vogels, Thomas Pamminger
- [None of Us Is As Dumb As All of Us: Community And Knowledge Go Hand In Hand](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe/sessions/1320-none-of-us-is-as) — Benjamin Dumke-von der Ehe, Jeff Atwood
- [Startup Spotlight](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/events/world-congress-2026-europe/sessions/1082-startup-spotlight) — General Program