Zahed Heidari - Developers Now Have a Second Brain: Learning to Think With AI

🚀 Details

We’ll kick the evening off with a lightning talk from Alan Gorton, Principal Consultant, Next Gen Engineering at Accenture.

⚡ AI + Hardware “Hacking”

A hands-on and experimental session looking at AI-driven development combined with hardware projects using Arduino and M5 products.

Alan will be sharing a few practical builds, including a train and platform notification device, alongside examples of how AI can accelerate prototyping and experimentation with low-cost hardware.

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🧠 Lightning Talk

Flipping the Script: Why Your AI Should Be Prompting You
By Rafael Cammarano Guglielmi

Rafael will be exploring the idea of AI prompting the user back rather than simply generating outputs.

Using the “Grill Me” skill as an example, this session looks at how AI can challenge assumptions, improve reasoning, and help engineers think through problems more effectively.

A really interesting perspective on human-AI interaction and practical day-to-day usage.

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🧩 Developers Now Have a Second Brain: Learning to Think With AI
By Zahed Heidari

AI tools are often positioned as a way to write code faster, but in practice, their biggest impact may be in how developers think, reason, and make decisions.

In this session, Zahed shares practical examples of using AI as a reasoning partner during real development work.

We’ll explore how engineers are using AI to:

• Debug complex issues
• Navigate unfamiliar codebases
• Structure technical decisions
• Problem solve more effectively

All without losing control or relying on “black box” outputs.
Rather than focusing on prompt tricks or specific tools, this talk centres around mental models and workflows that make AI genuinely useful in day-to-day engineering.

You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to integrate AI into your thinking process while maintaining strong engineering judgement and ownership.

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👥 Who should attend
Software engineers, tech leads, engineering managers, makers, and anyone interested in practical applications of AI in day-to-day engineering work.

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🔥 Why it’s worth attending
Most conversations about AI in engineering focus on speed.
These sessions focus on thinking better, building differently, and exploring practical real-world use cases.

Alongside the talks, it’s also a great chance to connect with Manchester’s growing applied AI and engineering community.

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📅 Agenda
18:30 – Doors, pizza & mingling
18:50 – Introductions
19:00 – Lightning talk by Alan Gorton: AI + Hardware “Hacking”
19:20 – Lightning talk by Rafael Cammarano Guglielmi: Flipping the Script: Why Your AI Should Be Prompting You
19:40 – Talk by Zahed Heidari: Developers Now Have a Second Brain
20:00 – Q&A / Open social & refreshments
20:30 – Close

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📍 Entry
Upon arrival at AND Digital, Manchester, please check in at reception and you’ll be directed to the meetup.

By registering, you agree to iO Associates contacting you about this event and relevant opportunities.