Data Modeling in the Age of AI with Lars Rönnbäck (English)

We’re happy to once again welcome Lars Rönnbäck, the driving force behind Anchor Modeling, to the Data Modeling Meetup. This time, he’ll speak about about data modeling in the age of AI.

Abstract:

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence is reshaping data modeling practices, offering unprecedented opportunities alongside new challenges for practitioners. This talk surveys the current state of AI, its recent breakthroughs in generative capabilities and reasoning, and near-future developments that will further accelerate change.

We contrast two extremes: the "vibe coders" who rely on loose, intuition-driven prompting with minimal structure, and the modern-day Luddites resisting AI integration out of fear or skepticism. Drawing from real-world experience, we explore efficient, disciplined ways to harness AI as a collaborative tool—augmenting rather than replacing human expertise.

A key case study illustrates the power of this approach: using Anchor Modeling combined with AI-assisted development, a large Swedish organization successfully replaced their Hypergene-based solution, dramatically reducing costs while maintaining robustness and flexibility.

More broadly, such projects foreshadow a shift toward "software on demand"—where in-house teams generate tailored, high-quality systems rapidly and iteratively. The presentation concludes with a showcase of the latest features in Anchor Modeling, demonstrating how this agile, sixth-normal-form technique supports data modeling in an AI-augmented future.

Speaker:

Lars Rönnbäck is a Swedish data architect, information modeler, and innovator best known as the co-creator and primary developer of Anchor Modeling, an agile, open-source database modeling technique based on the sixth normal form. Designed for evolving data environments, it enables non-destructive extensibility, temporal support, and high performance in data warehouses and analytical systems. First presented internationally in 2007 at the TDWI conference in Amsterdam, Anchor Modeling has since been researched in collaboration with Stockholm University and adopted in various projects.

As founder of the small Swedish consultancy Up to Change, Lars helps organizations navigate complex information systems through management consulting, data modeling, ETL design, and strategic analysis. He maintains a strong open-source presence on GitHub (github.com/Roenbaeck), with over 20 repositories, including the popular Anchor Modeler tool (98 stars), Sisula (a substitution language), Positorium (a hybrid database prototype), and other projects in Rust, TSQL, Python, and more.

Holding a degree in mathematics from Uppsala University and serving as a research affiliate with Stockholm University, Lars combines rigorous academic insight with practical, hands-on expertise in databases and system design. He is also an AI-assisted author, having co-written the science fiction novel Desolate with xAI’s Grok.

Agenda:

19:00 Welcome & Introduction
19:05 Data Modeling in the Age of AI (Lars Rönnbäck)
20:05 Discussion & Conclusion