This program is tentative and subject to change.
Wed 8 JulDisplayed time zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada) change
15:30 - 16:00 | Coffee BreakCatering The poster presentations will be held in this coffee break area near the MB Atrium on the first floor. Authors are expected to stand near their posters during the scheduled coffee breaks to present their work and answer questions. Authors should print their own posters and bring them to the conference venue. Posters should be mounted on the designated poster boards before 8 July. Each poster board is double-sided and measures 4 × 6 ft. Each side can hold two portrait-oriented posters, with a recommended poster size of 24 × 36 inches. Each board can therefore accommodate four posters in total. Authors who need local printing may use the Concordia Print Store: https://www.concordia.ca/print/store.html. Other printing shops are also available near the venue. | ||
15:30 30mCoffee break | Break Catering | ||
16:00 - 17:00 | |||
Debate Session: The Future of Software Engineering in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how software is designed, implemented, tested, and maintained. From AI-assisted programming to autonomous agentic systems, the field is confronting a profound question: are we witnessing the evolution of software engineering, or its transformation into something fundamentally different?
This special debate session at FSE 2026 brings together leading voices from academia and industry to examine one of the most consequential questions facing the community today:
Will software engineering remain a distinct and enduring discipline, or will AI-driven automation redefine it as primarily a domain of intelligent systems?
Rather than a traditional panel of isolated perspectives, the session is designed as a structured and intellectually rigorous exchange. Participants will engage in concise, high-density arguments, moderated discussion, live audience polling, and interactive Q&A, creating space for the community to critically examine assumptions about the future of the field.
Pre-debate: To broaden participation beyond the conference room, we will also host an online pre-debate in the form of a public GitHub Discussion, allowing the community to contribute arguments, questions, and perspectives ahead of the in-person session. Selected top-voted comments and discussion points from the online debate will be brought into the live session for direct discussion with the speakers and audience.
The debate is motivated not by provocation for its own sake, but by the growing need for an open and visible conversation around what constitutes fundamental software engineering research in an AI-driven era. Many of these discussions are already happening informally across research labs, industry teams, and conference hallways. FSE provides a unique venue to elevate them into a thoughtful, community-wide dialogue.
Building on ongoing roundtable discussions on trustworthy AI for code across Singapore and New York City, this session aims to bridge perspectives across research and practice while fostering meaningful engagement from the broader FSE audience.
As software engineering enters a period of rapid transformation, the community must not only build the future, but also question the assumptions that define it.
