Turning Your Java Project Into an AI-Ready Codebase

There is one key aspect of software projects that dictates your success with AI-augmented development: AI output is only as good as the structure, clarity, and test harness of the project it works within.

Marc is an open-source enthusiast and software developer and he is working as a senior principal software engineer at Red Hat in the Developer Tools team focusing on Java and AI.
He is the lead maintainer for the Kubernetes MCP server, Eclipse JKube and the Fabric8 Kubernetes Client.

More likely than not, coding agents amplify the bad engineering practices that usually creep into engineering projects. Well-structured Java projects evolve faster and more safely with AI, and in this session you will learn how to prepare Java codebases for effective collaboration with artificial intelligence. Taking a deep look at spec-driven and test-driven workflows, where agents begin by generating tests, while examining the role of black-box test suites in guiding both automated refactors and new feature development, using examples from Fabric8 Kubernetes Client, Helm Java, YAKD, and other open-source projects, we will see how tests built on a solid foundation and clear boundaries enable safe framework upgrades, UI migrations, large refactors, and reliable feature creation.

This talk should give you the practical techniques to make your Java codebase AI-ready, such as improving test coverage in legacy modules, using well-structured dependencies, and building feedback loops that let AI deliver reliable and maintainable changes. By the end of the day, you will be able to benefit from agentic development the right way: reducing repetitive tasks, accelerating delivery, and reducing burnout without risking production.

Marc is the author of "Full Stack Quarkus and React", Packt Publishing 2022. A book that covers how to develop a complete application from scratch leveraging Quarkus and ReactJS. Besides learning the best practices for development and testing with these libraries, readers will also learn how to deploy their applications to the cloud.