Sample Speaker
Principal Engineer
Company
BUILD · Talk
What broke when we put agents on a legacy core
Abstract & bio
The problem, what we did, what you will learn. Public abstract, max 150 words.
Two lines of bio. What they build or run.
Sample
The AI engineering conference
From AI prototypes to AI-native systems.
A one-day room in Pune for engineers who want to learn what actually works: agents, evals, reliability, cost, and AI in regulated and legacy systems. Talks come from people who built and ran the systems.
Date and venue to be confirmed. Registration opens around February 2027.
Index
- WhenMarch 2027Full day · date TBC
- WherePune, IndiaVenue TBC
- Who200–270Engineers & practitioners
- ModelNot-for-profitRun at cost
- 40–60
- practitioners at each monthly TechBrews meetup
- 30–40%
- of the programme comes from the open call
- 5
- ground rules. No pitches. No tool tours.
- Travel
- and stay support for speakers from outside Pune
01 Why
The next phase of AI is an engineering problem.
Models keep getting more capable. The hard problems have moved into architecture, reliability, security, observability, economics, infrastructure and organisational change. AI Index brings together the people solving them.
Come to learn. The room is for staff engineers and first-year builders alike.
Less hype. More evidence.
- What actually broke.
- What worked.
- What scaled.
- What we’d do differently.
02 The four worlds
The four worlds
- 01BUILDAI Engineering
How do we engineer AI-native software?
- Agents
- Context
- RAG
- MCP
- Evals
- Architecture
- 02OPERATEAI in Production
How do we make AI reliable, observable and economically viable?
- Reliability
- Security
- Observability
- Cost
- Scale
- 03TRANSFORMAI-native organisations
How does AI change how engineering is done?
- Operating models
- Platforms
- Governance
- Adoption
- 04FRONTIERWhat's next
What becomes possible next?
- Reasoning
- Multimodal
- Frontier models
- World models
- Embodied AI
Across every world
Engineering, proven in the real world, including regulated and legacy environments.
- ScaleLoad, cost or latency that forced real decisions.
- RegulationGuardrails, audit, compliance.
- LegacyAdding AI to systems that already exist.
03 The day
Main stage, plus a hands-on lab.
Talks run on the main stage all day. The AI Lab runs alongside it. You can drop in at any point.
- Registration & community breakfast
- Opening — Why AI Index?
- Keynote
- BUILDAI Engineering
- FRONTIERAI session
- Lunch & networking
- TRANSFORMEnterprise AI
- OPERATEProduction AI
- Coffee & networking
- AI Builders
- Startup lightning talks
- Closing keynote — Where AI goes next
- Community networking
Indicative programme. Times and sessions will change.
04 The stage
Talks from people who run this in production.
Voices from AI labs, enterprise engineering, research, startups and the Indian AI ecosystem, selected for real-world experience. Speakers are being finalised.
Sample Speaker
Staff SRE
Company
OPERATE · Talk
Cost per resolved ticket: an eval-driven rollout
Abstract & bio
Public abstract goes here.
Sample Speaker
Head of Engineering
Company
TRANSFORM · Talk
Guardrails in a regulated setup: where the line sits
Abstract & bio
Public abstract goes here.
Sample Speaker
Research Engineer
Company
FRONTIER · Lightning
Small local models, real benchmarks, honest results
Abstract & bio
Public abstract goes here.
Open call
Built something real? Submit a talk.
30–40% of the programme comes through the open call.
How to submitCards above are layout samples. Real speakers will replace them as they are confirmed.
05 Call for proposals
Tell us what you actually shipped.
About 30–40% of the programme comes through an open call: real systems, real failures and real lessons from the people who lived them. Startup, scale-up or enterprise, all are welcome. First-time speakers welcome. Team size does not matter. Evidence does.
Selection principle: real-world experience. We check every proposal against five ground rules. Break one and we won’t review it.
- No pitches. Do not promote a product, vendor or service. That includes your employer’s.
- Evidence first. Show design, numbers, trade-offs.
- No tool tours. “Why we chose X over Y” is in. “How to use X” is out.
- Real systems only. Talk about what you built or ran. Failures are welcome.
- Sanitise, do not hide. Remove names and confidential figures. Keep the architecture and lessons.
- Jan 2027CFP opens
- Feb 2027CFP closes. Speakers notified. Registration opens
- Mar 2027AI Index 2027, Pune
Follow for the CFP All dates to be confirmed.
06 Sponsors
What’s in it for sponsors.
AI Index runs at cost, so sponsors make the day possible. In return you get a room of engineers who came to learn, not to be sold to.
A room of practitioners
200–270 engineers, architects and engineering leaders for a full day. They come for the programme, not the stalls.
Meet the people building
Engineers who build and run AI systems in Pune and beyond. A hiring presence on their terms, in the open.
Backing a no-pitch event
Engineers notice who supports a day with no pitches and no tool tours.
A community, not one day
TechBrews meets every month with 40–60 practitioners. Sponsors can be part of that all year.
Show your engineering
Your engineers can apply through the open call like anyone else. A real lesson, honestly told, does more than a logo.
Help the best speakers come
Your support funds travel and stay for speakers from outside Pune.
How we keep it fair
- Sponsorship does not buy stage time.
- No product pitches in the programme, sponsor or not.
- Sponsors are named openly.
Where the money goes
- Venue and AV
- Food and coffee
- Speaker travel and stay
Talk to us about sponsoring Package details TBC
Packages and pricing are being finalised and may change. Tell us you are interested and we will send them first.
07 Get involved
Help build AI Index 2027.
Speak
Bring a real system, a real failure, a real lesson. The open call opens in early 2027.
See the callPartner
Communities, universities and media who care about practitioner-first learning. Tell us what you have in mind.
Message on MeetupSponsor
Help us run the day at cost and reach a room of AI engineers. See what is in it for you.
What sponsors getVolunteer
Help on the day: registration, rooms, the AI Lab. Meet the community from the inside.
Message on Meetup08 Community
From a monthly meetup to a full day.
AI Index is the next step for TechBrews, the Pune technology community where 40–60 practitioners meet each month. Come to a meetup first and see what the room is like.
TechBrews → AI Index → The community
09 FAQ
Frequently asked questions
When and where is it?
March 2027, one full day, in Pune. The date and venue are not confirmed yet. We will announce both here first.
Who is it for?
Engineers, architects, engineering leaders and startup builders. If you build, run or lead AI systems, or want to learn how, you belong in the room. Beginners are welcome.
Is it free? How do I register?
Not decided yet. AI Index is not-for-profit and runs at cost. Registration opens around February 2027. Follow the TechBrews meetup group to hear first.
Can I speak?
Yes. About 30–40% of the programme is an open call, opening around January 2027. We select on real-world experience. First-time speakers are welcome. No product pitches.
Can my company sponsor or partner?
Yes. The Sponsors section on this page shows what is in it for you. Packages are still being finalised. Tell us you are interested and we will send them first.
Will there be recordings and slides?
Not decided yet. We will confirm before the event.
Is there a code of conduct?
A code of conduct and accessibility information will be published here before registration opens.