Machines today can write software, compose music, create art, predict events, and listen and learn from humans. Notably, automation also plays an essential role in high performing software development teams by automating tasks and improving developer productivity. But automation can’t (yet) replace human imagination and the intelligence that arises when multiple great minds work together to solve the complex problems that are inherent in software and systems design. In this talk, we will review how automation in modern software development has evolved and the many benefits it has brought. We will then explore how a deeper understanding of the developer experience points to untapped possibilities for innovating automation for software engineering, focusing on how they can:

• support developers to manage the cognitive complexity of today’s systems,
• ease and enhance collaboration by speeding up feedback loops, and
• help developers to get in and stay in a state of flow when developing.

We will conclude by discussing how we can measure the impact of new innovations on the developer experience, and how doing so will drive actionable change and empower developers to do their best work joyfully.