ShipTalk: AI, DevOps & Software Delivery

In this special predictions episode of ShipTalk, host Dewan Ahmed (Principal Developer Advocate, Harness) sits down with Nick Durkin, Field CTO at Harness, to unpack what’s actually coming in 2026—beyond the hype. They explore whether we’re heading toward the first AI-caused production meltdown, how much trust we should place in AI "confidence," and why many teams may face a wave of AI-driven tech debt before they find balance. Nick shares why the future isn’t about more tools or more ga...

Show Notes

In this special predictions episode of ShipTalk, host Dewan Ahmed (Principal Developer Advocate, Harness) sits down with Nick Durkin, Field CTO at Harness, to unpack what’s actually coming in 2026—beyond the hype.

They explore whether we’re heading toward the first AI-caused production meltdown, how much trust we should place in AI "confidence," and why many teams may face a wave of AI-driven tech debt before they find balance. Nick shares why the future isn’t about more tools or more gates, but about policy in the pipeline, guardrails instead of roadblocks, and teams finally operating with a shared rulebook.

The conversation also dives into:

  • Why DevSecOps may finally go mainstream in 2026
  • How MLOps, agents, and prompts become first-class delivery artifacts
  • The real risks behind prompt injection, model tampering, and shadow AI
  • Whether AI agents become coworkers—or chaos
  • What developer experience looks like when IDEs start to feel like chat windows
  • How engineers and teams can stay employable and relevant in an AI-native world

This episode is pragmatic, optimistic, and grounded in real-world delivery experience—perfect for engineers, tech leads, architects, and executives navigating the next phase of AI-driven software delivery.

Listen in for a CTO’s clear-eyed predictions on AI, DevSecOps, and what it really takes to ship safely at speed in 2026.

What is ShipTalk: AI, DevOps & Software Delivery?

AI is reshaping software delivery every week. ShipTalk turns the noise into what actually matters to you. Brought to you by Harness, it's the podcast that breaks down the biggest shifts in AI, DevOps, and software delivery into practical takeaways you can actually use. This is an Ai infrastructure podcast. We also cover cyber security today.
Every episode, our hosts sit down with a sharp guest — the engineers, security leaders, and executives living these changes — to unpack a timely headline and what it really means for how you build, ship, and secure software. No hype, no vendor gloss: just the context and candid opinions that help engineering, platform, and security leaders make smarter calls. Hit subscribe and stay current on AI, DevOps, CI/CD, platform engineering, and DevSecOps — so the future of software delivery never catches you off guard. Stop talking, start shipping.