“It's 10 out of 10 for AI Engineer, it's 10 out of 10 for Web Directions and John Allsopp.”
Ron Au, Senior Software Engineer, Canva
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800+
Founders, VPs of AI, Software and AI Engineers
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80+
Talks from top experts
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20+
Top DevTools, Infra providers & Employers in Expo
I've looked up to Web Directions for a long time as one of the highest quality technical conference organizers in the world. As we grow AI Engineer as the premier technical event for AI practitioners, we're beyond excited to work with John and Web Directions to bring AI Engineering to ANZ!
Our 2026 Tracks
AI Engineer Sydney features three tracks, AI Engineering, SWE and agentic coding, and a specialised AI leadership track. There will also be the return of our popular hallway track, featuring invited speakers and partner presentations.
AI Engineering
Designed for practitioners building AI systems and applications in production this track explores novel architectures and system designs, from innovative approaches to RAG and agent pipelines to real-world case studies backed by production metrics.
Sessions will cover open source launches, major tool releases, and the hard technical problems teams are solving in the field—including integration patterns, infrastructure challenges, and lessons learned at scale.
SWE and agentic coding
For software engineers evolving their practice using AI coding tools. We'll cover how AI is transforming the entire software development lifecycle—from productivity hacks that save hours daily to real examples of AI-assisted development in action.
Sessions will explore when AI tools work brilliantly, when they fall short, and how to integrate them effectively into your process, whether you're working solo or on a team.
AI Leadership
Exclusively for senior technical leaders defining AI strategy at scale—CTOs, VPs of AI, AI Architects at large organizations, and the most senior AI decision-makers at their companies.
Sessions will tackle the strategic challenges of building and scaling AI engineering organizations: defining and executing AI strategy, build vs. buy decisions for AI infrastructure, organizational transformations, compensation structures and career ladders for AI roles, and navigating compliance and legal considerations.
A third day to go deeper
Workshops
December 9th 2026
AI Engineer Sydney will feature a dedicated day of hands-on workshops — the day after the conference, on December 9th. Put into practice what you've learnt over the two days of the conference, led by experts to broaden your knowledge and get you up to speed with the latest technologies and techniques.
Hack Day
December 12th 2026
The AI Engineer Sydney Hack Day is a free, hands-on day for engineers to build, experiment, and ship with the latest AI tools alongside the community.
Road to AI Engineer
Aug – Dec 2026 · Sydney · Melbourne · Brisbane
Join us on the road to AI Engineer with Homebrew Agents Club, AI Engineering Nights and Unconferences, running across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in the lead up to AI Engineer Sydney and AI Week.
All free, fully catered and fantastic. RSVP now — places will go quickly.
December 6–13 2026
AI Week brings together the people building with AI—engineers training models, software developers and AI engineers, researchers pushing boundaries, designers creating AI-native experiences, and product leaders shipping AI-powered products. Come to Sydney to connect with your peers, explore what's working (and what's not), and discover where this technology is actually heading. If AI is central to your work, this is where you need to be.
Past events
AI Engineer is the Australian edition of the renowned AI Engineer conference series. Our first edition was in Melbourne in June 2026.
AI Engineer Melbourne 2026 the inaugural Australian edition
Speak at AI Engineer Sydney
We are building the AI Engineer Sydney program now. If you are working with AI in production and have something worth sharing, we would love to hear from you.
Submissions close midnight, 4 September 2026.
What they said about Melbourne
Find your AI Engineer Sydney pass
Registration is open, and tickets are selling faster than they have for any event we’ve ever hosted. Don’t miss out—secure your seat for December 7th & 8th at the Hilton Sydney.
Special pricing
We have special pricing for people working in digital agencies, not-for-profits, people working in education, juniors, and anyone funding their own ticket. It’s an honour system. Just choose the ticket type that applies to you.
In person · 2 days
Conference
$1,195until 2 Oct
- Keynotes
- Two dedicated tracks
- Networking Reception
- Videos post-conference, on-demand
- Fully catered
Next $1,395 · 3 OctThen $1,595 · 21 Nov
RegisterIn person · 3 days
Conference + Workshop Day
$1,695until 2 Oct
- Keynotes
- Two dedicated tracks
- Networking Reception
- Videos post-conference, on-demand
- Fully catered
- Plus the Workshop Day — 9 December
Next $1,895 · 3 OctThen $2,095 · 21 Nov
RegisterIn person · 2 days
Leadership
$1,795until 2 Oct
- Exclusive Leadership track
- VIP Keynote seating
- Access to all other tracks
- Speaker Dinner
- Networking Reception
- Videos post-conference, on-demand
- Fully catered
Next $1,995 · 3 OctThen $2,195 · 21 Nov
RegisterIn person · 3 days
Leadership + Workshop Day
$2,195until 2 Oct
- Exclusive Leadership track
- VIP Keynote seating
- Access to all other tracks
- Speaker Dinner
- Networking Reception
- Videos post-conference, on-demand
- Fully catered
- Plus the Workshop Day — 9 December
Next $2,395 · 3 OctThen $2,595 · 21 Nov
RegisterIn person · 1 day
Workshop Day only
$795until 2 Oct
- Workshop Day — 9 December
- A full day of hands-on, practical workshops
- Fully catered
Next $895 · 3 OctThen $995 · 21 Nov
RegisterOnline · 2 days
Streaming
$495until 2 Oct
- Live stream — all sessions
- Live chat and Q&A
- Videos post-conference, on-demand
Next $595 · 3 OctThen $695 · 21 Nov
RegisterTeams of 5+
Conference
$995
per person
Conference + Workshop Day
$1,495
per person
Team passes
Bring your team to AI Engineer Sydney
Book five or more Conference passes for $995 per person, or Conference + Workshop Day passes for $1,495 per person. You’ll save $200 on every ticket—and for every five tickets booked, one attendee receives a complimentary upgrade to the corresponding Leadership Pass.
Want the latest updates?
Get news on speakers, schedule and program updates as they land.
Online · 2 days
Watch live from anywhere
Can’t make it to Sydney? A standalone streaming pass gives you every conference session live, plus chat and Q&A.
Every session is also available on demand after the conference.
In the heart of Sydney
Hilton Sydney
AI Engineer Sydney 2026 will take place December 7th & 8th at the Hilton Hotel, Sydney.
- Central CBD location with rail, light rail and bus connections close by.
- Stay at the Hilton or choose from the many hotels and serviced apartments nearby.
Partners
Keen to partner with us? Drop us a line—we’d love to talk more.
Partners currently announced for Sydney include:
Premium Partner
Exhibiting Partners
Jobs
Roles from our partners who are hiring AI engineers, ML specialists, and the people who build the platforms behind them. Find a role that fits and apply directly.
Job listings coming soon.
The organisers
About the organisers
Web Directions
For more than 20 years Web Directions has brought together the people building the web and digital products. Our conferences are known for rigorous programs, generous hospitality and conversations that continue long after the final session.
AI Engineer Sydney brings that experience together with the global AI Engineer community.
John Allsopp
John Allsopp founded Web Directions and has spent nearly 30 years helping shape how the web is designed and built. His writing helped inspire Responsive Web Design, and his tools helped establish modern web typography.
He curates programs around practical ideas, candid conversations and the people moving the field forward.
A conference for everyone
Code of Conduct
Everyone deserves a welcoming, inspiring and safe conference. Our code of conduct applies to attendees, speakers, partners and organisers.
If something concerns you, please tell us. We will take it seriously.