For the first time in our careers, we're working alongside systems that sound more confident than we feel. AI doesn't hesitate. It doesn't hedge. It produces answers with authority — even when those answers are wrong. And that changes how engineers think, decide, and ship.

This session explores the psychological and architectural impact of that shift: how AI-driven development creates a new kind of imposter syndrome, how over-trust cascades into silent failures, and what engineering teams can do about it.

Through real-world patterns drawn from half a decade designing LLMs and leading AI-forward engineering teams, attendees will leave with concrete tools for staying in the judgment seat — including workflow designs that require verification, a team protocol for challenging AI output, and a reframe on what "human-in-the-loop" actually demands.

Keynote presentation: Nashville AI Week, May 2026

Takeaways: AI fluency is not AI deference. Judgment is infrastructure. Confidence was never the signal — and it's time we designed like we know that.

Audience: Engineers, engineering leads, and technical practitioners working with or building on AI tools. No ML background required.

Format: Keynote, 45–60 min.