2026-04-16 –, Merck Plenary (Spectrum) [1st Floor]
AI is by far no longer just a technical tool. It is fundamentally rewriting how we approach every professional task, from architecture and logic to management and communication. For years, we viewed these tools as something specific to data science or machine learning, but that boundary has dissolved. We are now seeing a shift that impacts every role in every industry.
If an AI can handle the code, our writing, the routine data processing and complete automation frameworks with agents, what exactly are we supposed to be learning? This panel brings together the Python community for an honest and likely heated conversation about the skills that actually provide a human edge in an automated world. We are moving past the hype to look at the hard realities of 2026:
- The Educational Pivot: When the doing is automated, does technical mastery still matter? A developer and Data Science education expert debates whether we still need to learn the how or if we should focus entirely on the why.
- The Global Reality: A consultant’s view on how AI is transforming non-technical industries. It is no longer just about code; it is about how AI changes the very tasks that define professional roles across the board.
- The Hiring Filter: An Engineering Lead breaks down the new reality of recruitment. In a world of AI-assisted portfolios, what are we actually filtering for now? How do you spot talent when technical proficiency can be simulated with a well-placed prompt?
- The Future Framework: The Head of an AI Academy shares the AI and Future Skills roadmap. How do we upskill an entire workforce when the tools are changing faster than any curriculum can be written?
No consensus guaranteed. We are here to discuss the uncomfortable questions the Python community needs to answer.
Data Lover, Coach, Manager.
Paula is a Scientist turned Data Scientist by years of integrating statistics, machine learning methods and data wrangling and visualization pipelines while trying to understand science. In a similar way, in a continuous effort to improve science communication, with a strong sense of design and enjoyment of public speaking, she has become an expert in data visualization, visual presentation and storytelling.
She loves to teach and now I mostly manage teams.
She is also sometimes draw science comics: https://github.com/pga99/comics
With a background in business administration, Sebastian Unterreitmeier has spent more than 20 years advising on strategic people topics. Since 2016, the focus has been on future capabilities and skills in organizations, particularly in the context of strategic and technological change such as AI. Sebastian Unterreitmeier is part of Mercer’s global Center of Excellence on AI and plays a leading role in advancing the practical application of AI in everyday work at Mercer Germany.
Silvia Hänig is an entrepreneur, strategic communications advisor, and founder of her own consultancy for strategic communication and people advisory. She works with leaders from companies and NGOs in Germany and internationally, helping them communicate effectively in complex environments where reputation, growth, and transformation are closely intertwined.
Silvia brings extensive leadership experience and a strong track record of guiding decision-makers through change with clarity, credibility, and strategic focus. Her work has been recognized with multiple professional awards. Beyond consulting, she is also a lecturer, author, angel investor, and a strong advocate for leadership and communication that creates lasting impact.
Kristian is a freelance Python trainer who wrote his first lines of Python in the year 11111001111. After a career writing software for life science research, he has been teaching Python, Data Analysis and Machine Learning throughout Europe since 2011. More recently, he has built data pipelines for the real estate and medical sector.
Kristian has translated 5 Python books and written 2 more himself, in addition to numerous teaching guides. Kristian has collected 364 stars on Advent of Code. His favorite Python module is 're'. Kristian believes everybody can learn programming.