ICPE 2026 in Florence: GenAI Performance Engineering Panel and WEPPE invited talk by Prof. Dr. Samuel Kounev

The International Conference on Performance Engineering 2026 took place in Florence from May 4–8, 2026, bringing together 140 leading researchers and practitioners from industry in software performance modeling, prediction, and measurement as well as on benchmark-based performance evaluation. Co-located with the conference, the 6th Workshop on Education and Practice of Performance Engineering (WEPPE) was held on May 4, 2026, also in Florence, Italy.

A central highlight of the week was the panel titled “Performance engineering in the era of GenAI: what stays, what goes, and what’s next”, held on May 6, 2026. The discussion brought together Valeria Cardellini, Leana Golubchik, Samuel Kounev, and Bjarne Stroustrup, and was moderated by Vittorio Cortellessa. Bjarne Stroustrup contributed a distinctive perspective on the interplay between programming language design, software performance, and emerging AI technologies. Against this backdrop, the panel explored how generative AI is reshaping performance engineering practice, from benchmarking methodologies to system design principles, while also reflecting on which foundational techniques remain essential in an AI-driven era.

Preceding the panel, a WEPPE invited talk was delivered by Samuel Kounev on May 4, 2026. His talk, “Fair and reliable benchmarking of machine learning and AI models”, addressed the challenges of evaluating modern AI systems. He discussed the limitations of common metrics, the influence of dataset partitioning on evaluation outcomes, and the importance of robust benchmarking practices to ensure reliability, fairness, and meaningful performance assessment of machine learning models. He also provided an outlook on emerging approaches to evaluating complex properties such as system self-awareness.

A notable aspect of the conference week was the continued exchange between participants across events. Samuel Kounev and Bjarne Stroustrup, who first met during the WEPPE workshop, reconnected during the ICPE panel discussions, highlighting the strong link between foundational software engineering, programming language design, and modern AI-driven systems.

Together, ICPE 2026 and WEPPE 2026 emphasized the growing importance of rigorous performance evaluation, interdisciplinary dialogue, and education in shaping the future of software engineering in the age of generative AI.