TechTalk GmbH
Leonard-Bernstein-Straße 10, 1220 Wien
24 November 2026
17:00 - 20:00 CET
Attendance is free of charge
AI productivity metrics don’t show what developers experience: flow, fatigue, and how well they still understand their code.
Flow, momentum and motivation are distinct, and seeing them separately shows what drives progress.
Whether code is handwritten, AI-generated or agent-orchestrated, a person is still trying to move forward, and that’s what we should design for.
AI is changing software development fast. Studies show that we are becoming more productive. But how are the people doing? Do developers still get into flow? Do they tire more quickly? Do they still understand their own code? Many feel that their work is changing – but find it hard to say what exactly is different.
As part of her doctoral research, Arty Starr studied professional software developers. The result is the Theory of Developer Momentum, which describes the feeling of making progress on a task. It clearly distinguishes between flow, momentum and motivation and shows how they are connected.
Momentum arises regardless of whether someone writes code by hand, reviews AI-generated code or orchestrates agents – there is always a human trying to reach a goal. This makes it possible to investigate what AI changes about it.
In the talk, Arty presents her research and its findings. She shows the new perspective this opens up on working with AI: seeing software development not as a factory that only delivers output, but as a living activity that we can deliberately support.
The future of software development is not set in stone – we can help shape it.
17:00 Talk (English) AMA with Arty
~18:30 Networking with snacks and drinks
~20:00 End
Arty Starr has been a software engineer for 20+ years and is a researcher and pioneer of new theories of the developer’s cognitive experience that help us recognize how developers‘ experiences are changing with AI. Her theories of developer momentum and troubleshooting help us see software development through an ecological lens, recognizing it as a living activity in motion and the living capacities of care and cognition that support our ability to move skillfully. Her aim is to bring heart, human-centric values, and agency to the craft of software development so we can build toward the type of world we want to live in. With richer perception and by recognizing what matters, we can light a path to a future of thriving habitats where humans and AI can collaborate well and thrive together.
Arty is the author of Idea Flow, a speaker, thought leader, and artist who loves mixing ideas across disciplines into a fusion of creativity to help make the world a better place through her projects.
Attendance is free of charge. Seats are limited, so please register in advance.
TechTalk GmbH
Leonard-Bernstein-Straße 10,
Saturn Tower, 16th floor,
1220 Wien
24 November 2026
17:00 - 20:00 CET
U1 to Kaisermühlen – VIC, exit Donau-City-Straße, 5 min walk to the Saturn Tower.
