GopherCon UK 2026

For the 3rd year running, I've been at GopherCon UK and am surprised to have survived the heat in London - highs of 36 degrees yesterday - but thankfully The Brewery is a lovely and cool event space. I'm writing this on the train home, with a slightly tired voice, and a little tired after a good time - thanks again to the organisers for putting it on! How to Stay Passionate in the Age of AI Ainsley Clark kicked us off by talking about ways that we can stay passionate with the reshaping of our roles in the world of AI. Ainsley shared how, as humans, we have an "ancestral" need to create. In the current age of AI, there's a blurred line between human and agent and who is doing the thing, and that impacts the sense of accomplishment that comes from building. Ainsley quoted a number of studies around developer satisfaction and how AI is leading to increased stress, all of which I'd recommend digging into further, as well as "the IKEA effect" study that showed that people who were involved…